Today on Feminine Roadmap guest Dr. Murali Rao, expert in clinical geriatrics and geriatric psychiatry, talks to us about developing a GAMEPLAN for healthy mental aging. We are living in a time in history where people are living longer and those of us who are part of the sandwich generation find ourselves facing decisions based on the mental decline of our parents and worrying about our own mental aging in the process. Dr. Rao takes on the topic from both perspectives, us as the caregiver and us as the client- navigating the sometimes unclear waters of our parents mental faculties while protecting and preparing our own so that we can eliminate some of the decline that can naturally come as a part of aging. He has created a system, GAMEPLAN, to help us remember the keys to do just that- aid our parents and prepare ourselves. Armed with these practical steps, we can develop an gameplan for healthy aging and age with confidence- strengthening both our bodies and minds in the process. Grab a cuppa something wonderful and join us at http://www.feminineroadmap.com/episode183/

SHOW NOTES:

6:53 Dementia: predispositions and genetics

14:54 What is late onset paranoia?

“Women unfortunately experience depression 3X more commonly than men and we now know it happens at five significant times in life.”

20:15 Five significant hormone shifts that impact a woman’s mental health

27:41 What to do: the GAMEPLAN

“So we really have to have a network- it’s not possible for any one individual to take care of an elderly person.”

38:45 The importance of observation

48:08 Key qualities to successful mental aging

50:24 The four pillars of good mental health

RESOURCES:

Nndcifoundation.org

“50+ and Healthy: What You Need to Know About Mental Health and Healthy Aging For You and Your Loved Ones”  Dr. Murali Rao

Music by bensound