Loss of balance was not an early symptom discovered with Cindy, but it could have been. There is a correlation between how long you can balance on one leg and healthy cognitive function. If you cannot balance for 30 seconds or more on each of your legs, that is a sign of cognitive dysfunction and perhaps dementia.
When I first read the research on this I tested myself. I could balance on my right leg like a flamingo. I managed to balance more than 30 seconds on my left leg, but I was teetering all the while. I tried this again recently, after a few months of following a healthy diet. My left remained a little more challenging than my right, but I could maintain continued balance without difficulty. The brain health diet has lowered my blood pressure and increased my balance.
In early August of last year Cindy and I were doing a road walk around a closed, burned out section of trail. Us old farts hiked 25 miles in 8 hours, with me pushing to keep up with Cindy. A couple weeks later we were in the challenging North Cascades and difficulties from Cindy’s lack of balance sometimes slowed us down to about a mile an hour.
I don’t know when Cindy would have failed the balance test, but I wish I knew about it long ago. This could be an early warning that steers you to better brain health.
I wonder how many people read this balanced on one foot (like me)!
Great idea Shelley!