The positive impact on your health of staying socially active peaked my interest when I wrote the posts about playing bridge. Now the research tells us that lack of community involvement and infrequent contact with friends and family may increase your risk for Alzheimer's.
Researchers are now discovering that people who are calm and stay socially active are less likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer's. People with decreased social activity from mid-life and late-life levels were at higher risk for the disease. Even so, the odds of developing Alzheimer's or another dementia by the age of 85 is nearly 50-50. However, research shows that we can reduce those odds thru lifestyle changes.
The fact is people who succumb to Alzheimer's generally have the disease for many years before they develop clinical, observable symptoms. The indications are that Alzheimer's begins its slow but steady climb diminishing the brain's effectiveness about 20 years before symptoms are noticed.
Various studies around the world found that a strong psychosocial life, such as having close relatives, a spouse, good friends, memberships in clubs and participating in cultural activities or sporting events is associated with a lower incidence of dementia, including Alzheimer's.
The gist of all this information: be a good citizen, a good neighbor, and a connected family member and you have a good chance of staving off dementia. Seems simple enough and almost appealing. Nothing like getting back to the things that really matter.
What do you think about staying social to ward off dementia? Is it getting more difficult for you to keep up with friends?
To your aging success,
Ruthan Brodsky
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