Dear Wise Living,
My uncle’s mental sharpness seems to be declining.
He is 80 years old and is a retired science teacher who has always valued education.
Now, all he wants to do is watch television.
Are there educational resources in the area that I can suggest to him?
– Staying Sharp in later years
Dear Staying Sharp,
First, staying sharp mentally is one of the best gifts that we can give ourselves as we age.
I’m glad you have identified this.
My first thought for you is to reinvigorate some areas of your uncle’s interests and passions.
Maybe tap into the subject matter in which he taught.
The world of science is exciting.
Perhaps gather some feedback from him as you canvas the many opportunities in our community.
I’ve listed a number of them at the end of this column.
Maybe researching them together will help to engage him.
Let’s take a look at what some of the research is saying about staying mentally engaged.
The Rush Memory and Aging Project, conducted in 2012 in Chicago with more than 1,200 elders, showed that increased cognitive activity in older adults slowed their decline in cognitive function and decreased their risk of mild cognitive impairment.
The study showed that cognitively active seniors, whose average age was 80, were 2.6 times less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease and dementia than seniors with less cognitive activity.
Other studies show that individuals who are more educated tend to enjoy better mental health overall.
Pursuing lifelong learning can not only help you stay mentally sharp but is also critical to our overall wellbeing as we age.
However, continuing education is the great equalizer, particularly as we all grow in years.
It is available to all.
“Like any exercise, learning is stimulating and helps promote strength, flexibility and endurance,” said Cynthia Dunn, president and CEO of Cleveland-based non-profit Judson Services, Inc. “I think we’d all agree that these characteristics underscore the interplay between lifelong learning and overall good health.”
As a general rule, as we get older the hippocampus (the area of the brain involved in learning and memory) actually shrinks 1 to 2 percent annually in people without dementia.
Studies have found, however, that this trend can be stopped and in many cases even reversed.
Physical activity also stimulates certain areas of the brain and even increases the birth of new nerve cells in the hippocampus.
This defies outright the age-old belief that our brains are static and that once we lose a brain cell it’s gone for good.
Another study conducted by the Mayo Clinic revealed that individuals engaging in mentally stimulating activities, even late in life, may protect against new-onset mild cognitive impairment, which is the intermediate stage between normal cognitive aging and dementia.
The study found that cognitively normal individuals, 70 years of age and older, who engaged in computer use, craft activities, social activities and playing games had a decreased risk of developing mild cognitive impairment.
Researchers followed 1,929 cognitively normal participants of the population-based Mayo Clinic Study of Aging in Olmsted County, Minnesota, for an average duration of four years.
After adjusting for sex, age and educational level, researchers discovered the risk of new-onset mild cognitive impairment decreased by 30 percent with computer use, 28 percent with craft activities, 23 percent with social activities, and 22 percent with playing games.
Finally, I would like to mention an interesting resource in our area called the Brain Center of Green Bay, braincentergb.org.
It is a non-profit organization committed to maximizing brain health throughout our lives.
There truly is no shortage of resources in this community that is dedicated to aging gracefully.
Dave Ferguson, MD, certified senior advisor, is managing director of IKOR in the Greater Green Bay area. He provides advocacy and life care management services to seniors and individuals with disabilities. He can be reached at [email protected]. For more information about Ikor, visit ikormidwest.com.