Giving Compass' Take:

• Culinary leader, Paula Wolfert, was diagnosed with dementia five years ago and has since then undergone a self-developed treatment regimen, putting food at the center of her care-management plan. 

• The author mentions that medical professionals are too focused on pharma care rather than patient care, forcing dementia patients to build their own treatment plans after diagnosis. How can donors support these patients?

• Read about how we can look to other cultures for ideas on how to treat dementia. 

Five years ago, Paula Wolfert suddenly couldn’t remember how to make an omelet as she walked into her kitchen to prepare one.

This would be unsettling for anyone who likes to cook, but for 50 years Wolfert was a leader in the culinary world, having popularized Mediterranean and North African cuisines in the United States. Wolfert had published eight award-winning cookbooks and hundreds of articles.

Wolfert’s omelet problem, she found out, was because of a rare form of dementia, posterior cortical atrophy, similar to Alzheimer’s disease.

She follows a strict daily regimen involving nutrient-dense foods, nutrition supplements, and intermittent fasting, along with physical activity, a focused sleep routine, and scheduled social engagement. She keeps up on the latest brain health studies and consults with her neurologist, a naturopath, and leaders in the dementia community.

Increasingly, people are exploring self-care options such as diet and exercise to ward off or lessen the severity of other mental health issues as well, such as anxiety and depression.

Without much medical guidance, people with dementia and their caregivers are left to figure things out for themselves.

Wolfert did. And Swaffer devised her own plan after researching and consulting a nurse, a new neurologist, and health care practitioners familiar with helping people recover from a brain injury. Swaffer also eats a limited diet and uses meditation to help with her focus, mood, and pain. She also participates in cognitive and physical rehabilitation and works with a naturopath for supplements and ayurvedic treatments.

“The lifestyle changes I made haven’t cured me, but they definitely have slowed the progression of the disease,” Swaffer says.

Read the full article about food as an ally against dementia by Linda Ingroia at YES! Magazine