Some studies have linked retirement to poorer health and a decline in cognitive functioning — at times resulting in as much as double the rate of cognitive aging. This leaves people at a greater risk of developing various types of dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease.
In the study, they tracked 3400 civil servants and found that short-term memory declined nearly 40% faster once employees retired. This means conditions such as dementia and Alzheimer's may kick in more quickly than in people who keep their minds and bodies active by working longer and staying fit.
We found that all domains of cognition declined over time. Declines in verbal memory were 38% faster after retirement compared to before, after taking account of age-related decline.
The biggest risk factor for dementia is ageing. This means as a person gets older, their risk of developing dementia increases a lot. For people aged between 65 and 69, around 2 in every 100 people have dementia. A person's risk then increases as they age, roughly doubling every five years.
While there is no conclusive evidence that we can prevent the development of dementia, there is a general acknowledgement that there are some areas where poor lifestyle choices may increase the risk of developing dementia (that is, a poor diet, smoking, drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, lack of exercise, and not ...
Alzheimer's disease.
This is the most common cause of dementia.
The biggest risk factor for dementia is ageing. This means as a person gets older, their risk of developing dementia increases a lot. For people aged between 65 and 69, around 2 in every 100 people have dementia. A person's risk then increases as they age, roughly doubling every five years.
exercising regularly. keeping alcohol within recommended limits. stopping smoking. keeping your blood pressure at a healthy level.
It mainly affects people over 65. Above this age, a person's risk of developing Alzheimer's disease doubles about every five years. One in six people over 80 have dementia – many of them have Alzheimer's disease.
Results indicate that complete retirement leads to a 5-16 percent increase in difficulties associated with mobility and daily activities, a 5-6 percent increase in illness conditions, and 6-9 percent decline in mental health, over an average post-retirement period of six years.
Pros of retiring early include health benefits, opportunities to travel, or starting a new career or business venture. Cons of retiring early include the strain on savings, due to increased expenses and smaller Social Security benefits, and a depressing effect on mental health.
In an instrumental variable approach that takes into account the joint relationship between work and mortality, delayed retirement reduces the 5-year mortality rate for men ages 62-65 by 2.4 percentage points, or a 32-percent reduction relative to non-workers.
A 2019 study published in Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, showed among 165 participants (45 with diagnosed neurodegenerative disease, 120 controls) a supine sleep position (on back, head at body level) for more than 2 hours per night increased the risk of dementia by almost four times (3.7 times greater).
Not getting enough sleep for a long time may increase a level of protein in your brain called Tau, which is directly related to cognitive decline and can cause Alzheimer's disease. 3.
Lower levels of education, higher rates of poverty, and greater exposure to adversity and discrimination may also increase risk of Alzheimer's disease. Among all races, women are nearly two times more likely to be affected by Alzheimer's disease than men. The difference is due primarily to women living longer.
Researchers in the US have found that keeping up reading, writing and playing games in later life could delay the onset of dementia by up to five years.
There is currently no cure for dementia, and current treatments cannot reverse the damage. However, if symptoms arise due to vitamin deficiencies or drug use, there may be options to prevent the condition from progressing.
Symptoms of vascular dementia can begin gradually or can occur suddenly, and then progress over time, with possible short periods of improvement. Vascular dementia can occur alone or be a part of a different diagnosis such as Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia.