Diminished Mental Capacity In Seniors: Fact Or Fiction?

Discussion in 'Health & Wellness' started by Ken Anderson, Feb 3, 2018.

  1. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    There is a prevailing idea, embraced even by seniors, that aging consists of a slow and steady decline in all of our body systems. True enough, our bodies don't generally work as well when we get older, so it might seem reasonable to assume that our brains don't work as well either. But is that true?

    If it were true, how should we explain the composition of Otello by Guissepi Verdi? If this were true, how did Mary Baker Eddy come to found the Christian Science Monitor in 1908? How did Frank Lloyd Wright manage to design and build the Guggenheim Museum in New York City? Where did Peter Roget find the brain power to invent the first thesaurus? Entitled, Thesaurus of English Language Words and Phrases, it has never been out of print.

    All of these accomplishments were made by people who were between the ages of seventy and ninety-one at the time.

    Of course, aging can have its share of medical problems that may have a negative effect on mental health, such as strokes and Alzheimer's. While the possibility of these medical problems increases as we get older is it accurate to assume that all changes in behavior and communication in older people are the result of diminished capacity? Or could this be something that we're led to believe in order to encourage us to get out of the way and make room for a younger generation?

    As we grow older, we move more slowly but is it necessary for us to think more slowly? Our body parts begin to break down but there isn't any conclusive evidence to conclude other than that our important mental capacities remain intact, barring a stroke, Alzheimer's, depression, or known causes of age-related mental impairment.

    Yes, we do think differently, but is this due to impairment or are we simply recognizing that our life's priorities have changed from the goal-oriented productivity of middle age to the differing demands of an older stage of life.

    We might hurt when we move but do we have to accept that we are slowing down mentally? Does accepting this help to bring it about?
     
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  2. Frank Sanoica

    Frank Sanoica Supreme Member
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  3. Patsy Faye

    Patsy Faye Supreme Member
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    I think there are a few reasons why we decline mentally, I think we get a little negative when we can't do the things we
    once enjoyed, maybe some think on the lines of the future decline, I know I do and then have to strive to be positive.
    Our brain will age along with us and cause memory lapses and if we latch onto that, a feeling of despair can set in with again
    negative thoughts. I live amongst elders here and the biggest threat I see to mental decline is loneliness, not having enough
    stimulation mentally.
     
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  4. May Benot

    May Benot Veteran Member
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    [QUOTE="Ken Anderson, post: 230595, member: 2
    We might hurt when we move but do we have to accept that we are slowing down mentally? Does accepting this help to bring it about?[/QUOTE]
    This is why I use sudoku / wordbrain / scrabble etc ... for 'brain exercise' and also why i like ( some) forums ... apart from once a week lunch with a friend,I don't socialise and only go to shops as needed ...so glad I came across this little gem ...thankyou google :)
     
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  5. Yvonne Smith

    Yvonne Smith Senior Staff
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    I think that there is often (but not always) a relationship between losing physical activity and losing mental activity. Sometimes, when a person retires from their job, and they don’t have working to take up most of the day, people tend to just sit around and watch the television. I truly believe that just becoming a TV-couch potato dulls your mind, and we have to assert an effort to keep our mind busy, even if we are not doing as much physical work as we once did.
    Another thing that can play into diminishing mental ability is eating a poor diet. Sometimes, as seniors, we don’t bother eating the healthy foods that help build our minds and bodies, and we learn to live on the foods that taste good, and eating can sometimes become the main pleasure in someone’s life, along with watching their favorite television shows.
    Having an activity that you enjoy doing, or a good hobby can help out a lot. If it is something like yardwork or gardening, then it keeps both your mind and body working better.
     
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  6. Kitty Carmel

    Kitty Carmel Veteran Member
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    I think it's always a good idea to do something that keeps your mind going. Reading, puzzles, hobbies of all kinds. Working on projects. Exercise/walking. I would think all these things help.

    @Yvonne Smith I've been at the grocery store or Trader Joe's when one of the senior assisted living vans unload and I've noticed what some of them buy: Sweets! They are after the donuts, the cinnamon rolls. I know many eat in the dining room and maybe this is what they like having in their room for one meal or a snack. It's something I've noticed working in nursing homes also, older people go for the sweets. I could be a taste thing also.
     
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  7. Yvonne Smith

    Yvonne Smith Senior Staff
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    You are exactly correct, @Kitty Carmel , and that is a shame because the over-consumption of sugar and starches is one of the causes of many of the illnesses that we have today, which are things that the “undeveloped” countries do not have any problems with, because they eat food that is nourishing them, and not just treats that taste good.
    All sugar and starchy food are inflammatory, and inflammation can affect any part of our body, skin, muscles, joints, and even our eyes, brain and heart. Sugar has been linked to arthritis inflammation, which is one of the most common physical problems of the older generation, and it can also cause cataracts, macular degeneration, and other forms of blindness, and fading eyesight is another huge problem of aging.
    Besides the physical damage, sugar also leads to depression, and keeps your body on a constant roller-coaster emotionally, but sadly, most seniors think they deserve these treats now, and do not worry about what a disaster it is to their health and mental abilities.
     
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  8. Babs Hunt

    Babs Hunt Supreme Member
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    Your brain needs exercise and stimulation to keep it in shape just like your body does. This is true no matter what age you are.

    Both your brain and your body need good nourishment to keep them going strong too.
     
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  9. Kitty Carmel

    Kitty Carmel Veteran Member
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    Oh dear, that darn sugar. I don't plan to live without it but I've cut down and I'm not buying any right now since I just polished off my bag of Florida Crystals a couple of weeks ago.

    I know my doctor told me he has done volunteer work in third world countries. This subject came up about calcium since I don't eat dairy. My calcium level was fine, it was my vitamin D level that was way tanked. Back on vitamins. Anyway he said that he didn't see low calcium levels even in people's diets that were not optimal. He said as long as they got enough calories, their bodies took care of it. I thought that was interesting.
     
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  10. Bobby Cole

    Bobby Cole Supreme Member
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    In the aging process, the brain takes the largest hit in the memory department. Short term, mid term and long term memories along with a half dozen subcategories in each all show some decline as we age. Surprisingly, a couple of subcategories, episodic and working memory, can start a decline as early as the twenties but other memories categorized within the cognitive responses might not show any great decline until around 70 years of age.
    There are volumes of information written about memory and memory loss but as of yet, no one has been able to pin down exactly why there is any decline at all except..........for our diet.
    The brain's capacity for (to make it easy) input and output has never been established and some would argue that there is no such thing as a limitation of what the brain can truly do or how much it can do and further, there are no established age related limitations either.
    So, it goes back to the earlier post by my wife and a couple of other people that exercise and diet are the two main factors in order to keep our brains healthy.

    Up until about 30 or so years ago, the normal thought process was that the brain and the body are totally separate. One entity needs one thing while the other has other needs in order to function. Truth is, the brain and body are both one unit and generally speaking, what is good nutrition for one is also good for the other. What is good exercise for one is also good for the other.

    For example, contrary to a strict dieters belief, our brain and body both need fat. Who knew that our brain is around 60% fat and needs over 20% of the energy our bodies produce and the largest parcel of it comes from the burning of fat?
    Along with mental exercise, can physical exercise help our brain? Absolutely! When the body works, the brain has to work. When the body exercises, blood, oxygen and any nutrient that is available for the brain's use is delivered to it at a much higher rate. In return, the body gets the information it needs to perform and the necessary chemical metabolism that needs to occur in order to work out is given to the body.
    The body may start it's feeding time when we eat, but the brain knows it's buffet time when we exercise. But the bottom line to that is if there are no nutrients to be had, the brain starves and slowly dies.

    Everyone can do something. We can all eat right and if it is only taking a few steps every hour or perhaps trying to do a couple of jumping jacks in the swimming pool, it all helps.
     
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  11. May Benot

    May Benot Veteran Member
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    Seeing as our bodies are roughly 60% water, it's wise to drink reasonable amounts each day, dehydration can cause all sorts of problems, particularly when you're older, I drink at least a litre of pure water ev'ry day, never been one for fizzy soft drinks anyway, altho' I do enjoy a beer or three at weekends ( mostly water anyway?):)
     
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  12. Nathaniel Roswell

    Nathaniel Roswell Very Well-Known Member
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    I agree with babs. We need to keep both our mind and body be stimulated in order for them to be sharp and active.
     
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