Welcome to the 12th in our 17-part series on dementia. About 50 million people suffer from dementia worldwide. It is a debilitating disease, but it may be preventable. So I’ve set out to learn as much as I can and bring you along with me.

Prevention is really what this series is all about. Nobody wants to know a bunch of stuff about a disease for which there is no hope. And there are a lot of people saying that, and I want to contradict them as much as I can here. So here is another episode in which I’ll talk about concrete steps you can take to prevent dementia.

This step is called staying mentally active. Getting and staying active is important. Have you ever heard that saying, use it or lose it? That applies here. And it’s just as important to keep your mind working as it is to keep your body exercising.

An NIH study from 2003 found that people over the age of 75 who participated in challenging fun, like reading or playing games, were less likely to develop dementia. Another study of rats found that when the animals were provided with toys to excite and stimulate them, their brain cells grew larger. Rats with no toys had smaller brains.

It appears that the main benefit of increased mental activity is the building of more neural connections. So even if a mentally active person contracts dementia, she will have more brain cells to spare, delaying the onset of more serious effects.

So, what kinds of things can we do to stay mentally active? In addition to playing games and reading, here are some ideas that are scientifically proven to reduce dementia risk:

1. Learn a new language. The same brain mechanism that controls how we focus on something is used when switching from one language to another. So building this ability can improve concentration. Studies of children have shown that multi-lingual youngsters perform better at memory tasks. In episode 233 we discussed the importance of the area of the brain called the hippocampus in memory. Learning new languages increases the size of this part of the brain.

2. Read a newspaper or magazine. This is a super-easy way to keep from getting Alzheimers. You are 17% less likely to get Alzheimers if you read the news regularly. Reading a news story can bring up memories and emotional associations. Sometimes current events can be depressing, so try to pay attention to the positive things happening in the world, such as advances in technology.

3. Join a club or group. Believe it or not, isolation can cause depression and speed up cognitive decline. It can even increase the probability of getting an infection! Find something you are interested and gather with like-minded folks. This will not only provide the benefit of social interaction, but it will keep your mind busy as well. Some examples are book clubs, knitting clubs, the Red Hat Society (women only), senior centers, and Senior Corp (a volunteer organization).

4. Read a long book. The book is always better than the movie, right? It turns out that reading is also better for the brain. With a movie, all the images are provided for you. With a book you have the added brain activity of constructing these images in your brain. I recommend Goodreads.com, which allows you to connect with others, track your reading, set goals, and find out about good books. This is one activity I have down pat. My goal for 2020 was to read 75 books. I think I’m going to increase it in 2021 too!

5. Make a scrapbook. This activity exercises the memory, as you sift through pictures and mementos. It’s also creative and is a great way to relieve stress. And here’s another thing, you can combine it with “joining a club” for social interaction. There is probably a scrapbooking group in your local area.

6. Learn or play a musical instrument. This isn’t just about an exercise of memory, though it does increase memory capacity. There are areas of the brain that music influences that other tasks do not. There is a great University of Central Florida web page on this with a graphic of the brain that shows 12 different areas of the brain. When you click on one, a description of how it responds to music appears.

7. Tour museums or art galleries. So, I really learned something new here. We all know that exposing ourselves to art “broadens our horizons” and gives us a better sense of human culture. But did you know that it’s mentally similar to falling in love? It’s true. Taking in some art for just thirty minutes increases blood flow to the brain causes the release of dopamine, a response similar to feelings of love. Gives new meaning to the term “art lover”!

I’ve given you half a dozen or so ways to keep your brain active, but there are so many more. Check out some of my references as a start, and go out and find something that piques your interest. When I look at the ways I can be more active and therefore more mentally healthy, it really is a list of ways to have a full life, and that’s what I’m looking for. What about you?

References:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1151037/#:~:text=Participating%20in%20mentally%20challenging%20leisure,dementia%20than%20other%20elderly%20people.
Outsmart Dementia. (2020). The latest tools for controlling cognitive health — preventing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Morton Grove, IL: Publications International, Ltd.
https://www.dementia.org.au/sites/default/files/helpsheets/Helpsheet-DementiaQandA06-MentalExercise_english.pdf
https://www.dynseo.com/en/social-seniors-9-of-the-best-clubs-for-seniors-to-join/
https://www.ucf.edu/pegasus/your-brain-on-music/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CProfessional%20musicians%20use%20the%20occipital,to%20music%2C%E2%80%9D%20Sugaya%20says.

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