As suggested by research by Rush University Medical Center (RUSH), a healthy lifestyle is more likely to increase life expectancy.

The study found “people ages 65 and older who had a healthy lifestyle lived longer—3.1 years longer for women, 5.7 years longer for men—than their peers who didn’t have the same healthy lifestyle. They also spent more of their remaining years without Alzheimer’s disease.”

What are 5 healthy habits researchers suggest?

It was found in the study that participants reported at least 4 of these 5 habits:

1. Eating the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurogenerative Delay (MIND) diet
2. Staying engaged in cognitive activities like reading and puzzles
3. Being physically active for at least 150 minutes a week
4. Not smoking
5. Limiting alcohol use

This ongoing research also suggests that healthy lifestyle factors can reduce the risk for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia by up to 60%, as reported by Kuman Rajan, Ph.D.

How can you start implementing these habits?

It might be difficult to implement all these habits with the senior in your life all at once as it is a huge lifestyle shift. However, if each habit is slowly introduced, and becomes the new normal routine, there will be less resistance and a longer lasting outcome.