Teaching old dogs new tricks : minding your mind

Mixing with younger people keeps your mind active

NEXT time you brush your teeth, do it with the hand you do not usually use. It will be one small step in revving up your brain, exercising it to help stave off mental deterioration and even dementia.

As we age, the brain needs new challenges more than it ever has. Complacency will make it go sluggish, just as lack of physical exercise leads to a sick and sad body.

Medical research has shown that the brain need not deteriorate with age – in fact, it can grow new neurons at any age. But it needs your help. You have to start thinking in new ways and stop taking your brain and what it has given you for granted.

It is fair enough that we have accepted what talents we have during our lives and used them in our professions or leisure time. If you are good with numbers, you may have become an accountant or financial whizz or maths teacher; if you are artistic, you are likely to be an artist of some sort; good with words, you may write for pleasure or profit.

But having used those talents for most of your life, you have been mostly exercising the part of the brain that rules your particular aptitude, neglecting possible other talents. As I said, that is fair enough when you are younger as it has got you to where you are now presumably.

Now it is time to rev up the old brain – and have fun doing so. It is certainly more fun than exercising the body, if you are a sloth like moi.

Using your left hand if you are right handed and vice versa for simple tasks such as eating and brushing your teeth is a good place to start, although trying to change your writing hand might be taking things too far.

However, playing games which exercise your brain in new ways definitely needs to be considered.

For all of us, learning a new language tops the list of brain exercises. Best way to do that is in a class, perhaps at evening adult education sessions. That way, you also have social interaction, another essential to warding off dementia. And, it also has another practical purpose if, like so many baby boomers, you plan to travel.

And we all should be keeping up with technology, going to computer classes if necessary.

But then there are the fun games that work your “lazy” part of the brain, the part that has been snoozing for most of your life.

Hence you literary types should tackle number games such as sudoko (I can spell it better than I can play it but I’m trying). Or try relearning your times tables – you could find you enjoy it more than you did when you had to learn it by rote in grade school.  And, as much as possible, add up numbers rather than use a calculator.

Mathematicians, have a go at crosswords, scrabble or jumble-word games you often see in newspapers and magazines.

Artists, try some writing that actually makes sense and don’t be afraid to open a dictionary (having an artist son, I know they can struggle with literacy). You also would benefit from word games as well as number games.

Other games and activities to suit us all are:

• Cards, remembering rules of the game and enjoying company;
• Chess, concentration and planning strategy;
• Jigsaw puzzles, solitary but calming and using memory and  logic;
• Bingo, company as well as concentration;
• Trivia games, for fun, social interaction and memory.
• Ballroom dancing for exercise, social interaction and memory.
• Craft, art or woodwork classes for company and learning new useful skills.

These are but some of the examples of games and activities to exercise the old brain and mix with people at the same time.

Social interaction with a variety of people is more essential in older years than it ever was. In fact, you should be extending your friendships rather than holding on to the few you have had most of your life. And, ideally, you should be mixing with people of different ages as that is  good way to keep up with contemporary thinking and stops you from becoming an old grouch. Have dinner parties with different age groups – the conversation is bound to be varied and you might learn something new.

While life experience naturally means you have greater knowledge in many areas, you can still learn from younger generations. And it goes without saying that the young ones learn from us as well.

Best way to mix with younger people is to do a course that is likely to have a wide range of ages, rather than just courses aimed at older folk. You might also want to consider helping out at your grandchildrens’ schools, reading to the children perhaps. This gives children an appreciation of older people as well, especially those who may not have grandparents alive.

I am not a great fan of senior people moving into retirement or “lifestyle” villages before they have to because I think that isolates older people. Of course, retirement villages, especially for frail old people. But, if you are just past retirement age and physically active, you should stay in your home, with the necessary back-up for as long as possible. I will look at the pros and cons of retirement villages in more depth in another article.

So these are good strategies for exercising the intellect. You will still need to do physical exercise. Yep, no way around it – a healthy body equals a healthy mind.

You need at least half an hour a day of aerobic exercise to get the blood pumping to all areas of the body, especially the brain.  Walking, swimming and cycling are good activities which are inexpensive and sustainable.

Now, have I forgotten something? Probably, alas.

What is dementia and how to fight it

Engaging in interesting conversation keeps the mind sharp

NOW where did I put my keys? Oh, my God, I’m losing it – I’m heading for dementia just like dad . . .

This is a common cry among people as they age, even while we are still in middle age. When young people forget things, we put it down to them having too much going on in their lives. But when we baby boomers forget dates and where we put things when we are older, we think we are losing our minds, that we are sliding into the pit of dementia – especially if our parents also suffered it.

Many people as they slide into middle age will ask “what is dementia”, especially as  there a few different categories of it, alzheimer’s being one of them.

But dementia is not a definite aspect of age. We do not have to get it, even if our parents and grandparents had it. The mind can be exercised like any other part of the body to avoid dementia, or at least to lessen its effect.

Like with our bodies, a healthy mind falls into the use it or lose it category. And the body and mind go hand in hand, so to speak.

The mind has a greater chance of staying healthy if the body is healthy. Yep, no way around this – exercise and good diet are the keys to keeping the mind nimble, as essential as exercising the mind.

Physical exercise which keeps the blood pumping ensures that the body and mind can keep working well into old age – and it is not too late to start in middle age. In other words, use it or lose it NOW.

Specific brain exercises for the brain include word games, mathematical puzzles, learning another language or learning any new skill, reading news articles every day and socialising with people of all ages as much as possible.

Even dancing the light fantastic helps exercise the brain as well as body and gives you a great emotional lift.

As for physical fitness, walking for at least 30 minutes a day, swimming or cycling are the best, least expensive ways to keep fit or get fit. But take it easy to start with and discuss any new exercise with your doctor first.

So, what is dementia?

No simple answer here as there are three main types:

Vascular dementia

A common form of dementia, it develops when there is impaired blood flow to parts of the brain, depriving cells of food and oxygen.

It can often strike after a major stroke blocks a large blood vessel to a significant portion of the brain.

It can also come after a series of very small strokes, or infarcts, block small blood vessels and cause damage over time.

With vascular dementia, symptoms include impaired memory, confusion, difficulty concentrating and following instructions, inability to carry out everyday activities and often physical weakness or permanent impairment.

Sometimes, the person loses the ability to speak or to comprehend the written word.

Alzheimer’s

This is the cruelest form,  the one most feared. Some people think this is the only form of dementia as it is the one most talked about and the one with the most dire outcome.

It also is the form of dementia most likely to be inherited and the one form which is less responsive to preventative treatment, although onset can still be lessened if  general physical and mental health have been maintained.

One of the most common signs of Alzheimer’s, especially in the early stages, is forgetting recently learned information. Others include forgetting important dates or events,  asking the same questions over and over, relying on memory prompts such as reminder notes.

People with Alzheimer’s may forget names and appointments but remember them later.

Some may start to have difficulty working with numbers or following a familiar recipe or paying bills.

The afflicted have trouble understanding something that is not happening right away or forget familiar places or people they do not see everyday. Eventually they may forget familiar people, including their nearest and dearest. That is why it is such a cruel and feared disease.

Just as frightening is the changes in mood and personality of the person with Alzheimer’s. They can become  confused, suspicious, depressed, fearful or anxious. They may be easily upset at home, at work, with friends or in places where they are out of their comfort zone.
With this form of dementia, changes to the person are more evident than with vascular dementia.

Mixed dementia

Mixed dementia is a condition in which Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia occur at the same time. Many experts believe mixed dementia occurs more often than was previously realized and that it becomes increasingly common in advanced age.

Experts recommend suspecting mixed dementia whenever a person has both evidence of cardiovascular disease and dementia symptoms that get worse slowly.

DON’T PANIC TOO SOON

Reading these dementia symptoms, you may be worried you are in the running, especially if you are starting to forget things more than you used to, so here is a helpful list of when to seek medical advice and when to relax a bit. We all forget things, even young people, so don’t immediately think the worse.

• Concern: Poor judgment and decision making; No concern: Making a bad decision once in a while
• Concern: Inability to manage a budget; No concern: Missing a monthly payment
• Concern: Losing track of the date or the season; No concern: Forgetting which day it is and remembering later
• Concern: Difficulty having a conversation; No concern: Sometimes forgetting which word to use
• Concern: Misplacing things and being unable to retrace steps to find them; No concern: Losing things from time to time