You walk into a room and forget why you entered in the first place. You blank on your PIN at the checkout or you struggle to remember a name. Aging often brings such “senior moments.” And while many such occurrences are benign, it can be frustrating but lapses in memory or concentration grow more common with age.

But what isn’t normal?

If “senior moments” make it hard to manage daily affairs, they may be early warning signs of Alzheimer’s Disease or another form of dementia. If senior moments become more than minor annoyances and occasional slips, a doctor should evaluate the symptoms.

June is Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month, and it offers an opportunity to talk about the disease and dementia.

Alzheimer’s, a neurological disorder causing problems with memory, is a leading cause of death among seniors in the U.S. and researchers say a healthy lifestyle may fend off the diagnosis for those with a genetic pre-disposition for it.

More than 6 million Americans currently live with Alzheimer’s, including more than 190,000 New Jersey residents – a number now projected to increase 10.5% to 210,000 by 2025. According to United Health Foundation’s 2021 America’s Health Rankings Senior Report, new local data demonstrate the impact on New Jersey residents of physical, mental, and social risk factors for Alzheimer’s and dementia.

New Jersey seniors suffering from obesity, diabetes, social isolation, smoking, alcohol abuse, and physical inactivity are at increased risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia, chronic disease, and early death. The Alzheimer’s Association says it’s never too early or too late to incorporate healthy habits for your brain.

Dr. Steven Angelo, the chief medical officer for New Jersey with United Healthcare Medicare & Retirement, offered tips for a healthier lifestyle that may help fight dementia, decrease risks, and improve health and wellbeing.

Angelo said what raises concerns, would be, for instance, leaving the burners on in the house or not remembering Thursday. “I know we over rely these days on things like GPS, but you know, if you can’t remember how to get home from the from the grocery store or aren’t able to remember names of close friends or relatives, that would be a red flag for me as a person trying to determine if something is up.”

Angelo explained that dementia is a condition affecting parts of the brain that control thought, memory and language. Alzheimer’s Disease is the most common form of dementia. He said while the risk of developing Alzheimer’s increases with age, it is not considered a “normal” part of aging.

When asked if hereditary or environmental factors make it more likely that someone you know will come down Alzheimer’s later in life, Angelo said no one can answer with any certainty. “There is a genetic predisposition, however it’s not 100%. So having parents, one or two of your parents, having Alzheimer’s does not necessarily mean 100% of the time that you’re going to get it. There’s about a 10 to 30% increased risk above the general population if you have a first-degree relative who had Alzheimer or has Alzheimer’s dementia.” Since anyone may be at risk, there are some lifestyle choices that people can make at any age to keep a healthy and alert mind and control other health issues.

Exercise, taking a class, quitting smoking, taking care of your heart, protect your head from injury, eating a healthy diet, getting plenty of sleep; taking care of mental health, staying social and challenging the mind can all promote good cognitive function.

Angelo said that healthy lifestyle improvements would be beneficial as is early diagnosis. The earlier someone begins treatment on reversible causes of memory loss, be better chances they have of improving the quality of life in Alzheimer’s or other types of dementia. “You certainly want to reduce your sedentary lifestyle as much as possible. Ever hear the new adage that sitting is the new smoking? If people just sit around all day and not move that’s almost as detrimental to one’s health as smoking. So that that’s key. And now if you want to go on a bit better than just getting up and walking around obviously you know, you really want to begin to incorporate some aerobic exercise into your into your lifestyle.”

He also advised an annual memory screening which can help a health care provider diagnose memory disorders earlier.

Memory screenings can be performed during an annual wellness visit, which is free to anyone on Medicare.

UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage members can also take advantage of the HouseCalls program, which brings a yearly health and wellness visit to the convenience and privacy of home, at no additional cost. A licensed practitioner comes out and not only performs memory screenings, but a host of other tests.

In addition, many Medicare plans offer benefits to help seniors stay mentally and physically active like UnitedHealthcare’s fitness program RenewActive. The information provided through Renew Active is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Consult your doctor prior to beginning an exercise program or making changes to your lifestyle or health care routine.

So when should people start to consider some of those things? “I think some people would say that age limit should be placed higher or some people who want to get the benefits and feel a lower number, but in general, 65 is where we say you should start to think of yourself as a senior now In terms of when to start screening,” Angelo said. “Plus a lot of these programs are based on Medicare populations and the eligibility is at this point, 65 and older. So I think that’s when you would start to screen.”