Teri Sellers
The PebbleCreek Alzheimer’s Support Group is available to all residents who have a loved one with Alzheimer’s or dementia. The group meets twice a month for a breakfast social and a support group meeting. Our goal is to provide support and information to families that are caring for a loved one with dementia.
Our speaker for the February Support Group meeting is Chef Frank Coloma. He is a graduate of Scottsdale Culinary Institute Cordon Blue and an advisor with the Glendale Union High School Arts Program (two-time Teacher of the Year), volunteer chef with Hospice of the West Comfort Food Comfort Care Program, resident chef for Sur La Table for more than five years, and was a regular guest chef on Sonoran Living Live. He is an Army veteran, husband, father of two, a great chef, and wonderful friend.
Chef Frank will be sharing valuable information about the nutritional value of foods for our heart and brain health. He will also be demonstrating some heart healthy snacks and offering sample food tasting.
Eating nutritious foods, being physically active, and managing high blood pressure and high cholesterol—you may already know that these healthy habits can help prevent heart disease, but that’s not the only reason to embrace a healthy lifestyle. The choices you make every day affect your head as well as your heart. “There is increasing evidence connecting cardiovascular risk factors with brain health,” says Johns Hopkins cardiologist Seth Martin, MD, MHS, an associate director at the Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease.
A healthy diet is one of the keys to preventing and managing cardiovascular disease. It’s not as hard as you may think! Remember, it’s the overall pattern of your choices that counts.
Researchers are finding a correlation that what is good for the heart is also good for the brain. Good blood flow to the grey matter is essential for the function and wellness of brain cells. With each heartbeat, about 25% of the blood is delivered to the brain, bringing the necessary nutrition to provide your brain with the energy needed to remember information and think clearly.
There has been mounting evidence of the strong association between dementia and cardiovascular disease, particularly the heart condition’s tendency to starve the brain of blood. Since the primary function of the heart is to pump blood to the brain and the circulatory system, those with heart health issues are generally at a higher risk for dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s.
You are not alone. I want to share helpful resources and information with you and add you to our email list. Our support group is an excellent way to learn more about the journey that is dementia and a wonderful way to meet others who are going through the same journey. Your information is always safe and confidential, and the benefits are priceless. I can be reached at 602-793-0299 or [email protected].