Mastering the Art of Aging

We live in an era where the ageing population is rapidly expanding, thus there’s a pressing need to redefine ageing as a process of continuous growth and vitality. 

"Mastering the Art of Aging" is a campaign aimed at supporting our brain health, educating, preventing, and taking proactive measures to ensure individuals like you and me can age gracefully and maintain cognitive well-being.

 

At the heart of this campaign lies the crucial mission to shed light on Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), a condition that often goes unnoticed but carries significant implications. 

Did you know MCI manifests as subtle yet noticeable memory or cognitive challenges beyond what is typical for one's age group. It serves as a precursor to Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, highlighting the urgency for early detection and intervention.

 

Understanding that cognitive health encompasses a multifaceted approach, the campaign emphasises various elements essential for maintaining optimal brain function. 

From fostering focus and concentration to facilitating memory retention and promoting consistent high-quality sleep, the campaign advocates for holistic well-being. Additionally, integrating physical exercise, mindfulness practices, and effective coping mechanisms becomes paramount, especially in navigating stressors that may challenge cognitive resilience.

A. Menarini, CARiNG Pharmacy and ACT4Health Sdn Bhd, a social enterprise spin-off of University of Malaya have joined forces to offer the Visual Cognitive Assessment Test (VCAT) at selected CARiNG Pharmacy outlets in Malaysia. 

The test's purpose is to raise awareness of MCI among Malaysians and help people evaluate their risk of MCI. This enables early diagnosis and intervention if necessary. 

VCAT involves a series of visual and cognitive tasks to measure aspects of cognition function, such as memory and attention. 

The tasks involve pattern recognition, spatial reasoning, memory recall, and decision-making. Once the test is completed, the results will be analysed to provide a status of the individual’s cognitive health and determine whether healthcare professional involvement is necessary.

I manage to take my test… it is basically a very simple (almost childish) test to do with your memory … and I got almost all correct except one tiny memory of a teapot lol!!! Was more focused on the other things in the picture!!!

But this VCAT test scores are what that will provide a quantitative measure of our verbal cognitive abilities.  Higher scores indicate better cognitive function. For patients with MCI, VCAT can help identify specific areas of cognitive decline. It’s important to compare scores over time to assess changes in cognitive function…. 

So what are you waiting for let’s go get the VCAT test done for yourselves or for your parents and those who need it, at participating CARiNG Pharmacy outlets...