The Professional Geriatric Care Manager’s Blog

Interesting Alzheimer’s Disease Study Results

I was reading the Bergen Record today and came across a Good News article that reported on a new British study published Monday that found working a few years past retirement could stave off Alzheimer’s Disease!

Experts from King’s College London analyzed data from more than 1,300 people with dementia, considering factors including education, employment and retirement.  The results showed that the later people retired, their risk of avoiding Alzheimer’s Disease decreased.  In fact, they were able to determine that each extra year of work was associated with a six-week delay in the onset of dementia.

One of the paper’s co-authors, Simon Lovestone, reported, “The intellectual stimulation that older people gain from the workplace may prevent a decline in mental abilities, thus keeping people above the threshold for dementia longer.”  He did add that doctors do not fully understand how to delay or prevent dementia, previous studies have suggested that more education may lower dementia risk.

More research is needed to confirm the study’s findings.  Suzanne Sorensen, head of research for the Alzheimer’s Society, stating that people who retired earlier may have done so because of health problems like high blood pressure of diabetes, which increase the risk for dementia.

Sorensen said, “It could also be that working helps keep your mind and body active which may reduce the risk of dementia.”

The most common of all dementias, Alzheimer’s Disease accounts for approximately 60% of all cases.

Our nurses and counselor at Distinctive Care Geriatric Care Management have attended many training classes and we utilize this training in our assessments and care planning.  If you are dealing with a loved one who is experiencing a decline in their cognitive function or their ability to perform their activities of daily living call our office to schedule a cognitive screening assessment to help determine whether or not they may be suffering from mild cognitive impairment or possibly dementia.  Early detection and treatment are important to slow the progression of the disease.

We have offices throughout Bergen County and can be reached at 201-857-5283.