On the day that the British Chancellor of the Exchequer said the retirement age in Britain would have to be raised sooner than expected, a report came out that claimed dementia numbers are set to rocket worldwide.
According to George Osborne’s Autumn Statement, the date when the state pension age rises to 68 will be brought forward to 2046. That age could rise again to 69 by the late 2040s, meaning – in a nutshell – millions may have to work longer.
These new ages are based on current calculations of life expectancy, and the proviso that no more than a third of an adult’s life should be spent in retirement. Yet longevity can have a price.
“Dementia” is a broad term that describes a serious deterioration in mental functions, such as memory, language, orientation and judgement. There is no known cure. Drugs can ease some of the symptoms, though patients may have been losing brain cells (or have neuron damage) for a decade before any appear. A BBC report also claims that dementia research in the UK receives one eighth of the amount of funding spent on cancer.
According to the charity Parkinson’s UK, dementia affects around 800,000 people in the UK, costing over £23billion a year – more than cancer and heart disease combined. One in three people who has Parkinson’s disease has some form of dementia, and up to 80% of sufferers may develop it during their lifetime.
Alzheimer’s disease accounts for two-thirds of all dementia cases. According to Alzheimer’s Disease International, 44 million people globally live with the disease, and this will rise to 135 million by 2050.
Jeremy Hughes, chief executive of the UK’s Alzheimer’s Society, added: “Dementia is fast becoming the biggest health and social care challenge of this generation… We must tackle dementia now.”
So, is there anything that we can do to help ourselves? Three things struck me that might: my grandparents’ habits; the idea behind my student job; and a chapter in a book by a Canadian psychiatrist.
Fortunately, nobody in my family has ever suffered from dementia. Also, aside from cases of smoking-related illnesses, my relatives have often lived into ripe old age. And two things about all their lifestyles occurred to me – they usually walked somewhere every day and they read a lot.
Meanwhile, when I was a student, I earned some money by working in my holidays for an educational company called Elderhostel. The concept was to offer North American senior citizens the chance to study short courses in the US and abroad while staying in cheap accommodation. The premise was that you’re never too old to learn something new.
I would co-ordinate groups of people, aged between 55 and 95, from Hawaii to New Hampshire, who had come to London to study subjects as wide as Roman Britain to genealogy, to see the sights and to have some fun.
I shall never forget taking 92-year-old Norman to the Three Kings pub in Clerkenwell on his first (and hopefully not last) pub crawl. Watching a group of animated American seniors trying to play darts is something the locals probably won’t forget either. Yet these enthusiastic mature students, whose lives had encompassed every facet of human experience, were an inspiration.
Their example is also one that is endorsed by award-winning writer Dr. Norman Doidge, who devotes a chapter of his fascinating book “The Brain That Changes Itself”* to rejuvenation. He claims that activities which involve genuine concentration are associated with a lower risk of mental deterioration.
“The more education we have, the more socially and physically active we are, and the more we participate in mentally stimulating activities, the less likely we are to get Alzheimer’s disease or dementia,” writes Doidge.
He adds that studies stop short of proving such activities can prevent Alzheimer’s disease. However, there is scope for optimism, as age-related memory loss “seems almost certainly reversible with the right mental exercises”. Like so many other functions of the human body, it’s a case of use it or lose it.
And it’s not just mental stimulation. “Physical activity is helpful not only because it creates new neurons but because the mind is based in the brain, and the brain needs oxygen”, he writes, adding: “In fact, whatever keeps the heart and blood vessels fit invigorates the brain, including a healthy diet.
“A brutal workout is not necessary – consistent natural movement of the limbs will do… Simply walking, at a good pace, stimulates the growth of new neurons.” Also, this is good for getting us out of the house. “Nothing speeds brain atrophy more than being immobilized in the same environment,” he warns. It seems my relatives’ habits of walking every day and reading a lot were spot on.
Dr. Doidge’s conclusion is optimistic and realistic: “Life is for living and not only for doing exercises, so it is best that people also choose to do something they’ve always wanted to do, because they will be highly motivated, which is crucial”.
So, the answer to mental as well as physical longevity might be as simple as finding a hobby you love and pursuing it with passion. Why not? Your health, the long-term consequences and the cost alone make it well worth the effort.
And you can follow the quest for mental and physical longevity on Twitter @The_RTM
*Norman Doidge, MD: The Brain That Changes Itself (Penguin, 2007), Chapter 10 – Rejuvenation: The Discovery of the Neuronal Stem Cell and Lessons for Preserving Our Brains, p.245-257
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