subject: Are There New Ideas For Older People? [print this page] Are There New Ideas For Older People? Are There New Ideas For Older People?
Aerobic exercise improves seniors' memories. The hippocampus, located in the center of the brain, encodes new information to be remembered later. As part of aging, the hippocampus shrinks. However, in a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 120 healthy, sedentary people ages 60-80 were divided into 2 groups. The hippocampuses of those in the light-strengthening group decreased in volume about 1.5%. The hippocampuses of those in the aerobic group increased about 2%. That's similar to turning back the clock 2 years. Those in the aerobic group also briskly "walked of with" better spatial memory.
Seniors can also prevent the decrease in muscle mass that's part of aging. According to research published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, resistance exercise like lifting weights strains muscles and sets in motion the body's muscle-building response, which builds fiber and increases muscle mass. The greater the intensity of the weightlifting program, the greater the results. Muscle loss can be reversed and new muscle can be built. Muscle strength and balance help prevent falls one of the most common reasons seniors are hospitalized. So when seniors go to the gym, they're "muscle-bound".
Seniors, however, can't prevent the decrease in their ability to multitask. Another study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences used MRI's to compare brain activity in 20 healthy adults average age 69 to 22 healthy younger people - ages 18-32. The participants were interrupted during a memory task by another task and then asked to return to the memory task. Older adults experienced more difficulty reestablishing the neural network associated with the original task. It seems the decline in multitasking ability is a natural part of aging. What doesn't seem natural is it starts in our 20's and 30's!
What hopefully will become increasingly natural are "villages" neighbor-helping-neighbor systems that enable seniors to stay in their homes. Villages are run primarily by neighborhood volunteers and funded by grants and membership fees running from $25 to $600 or more a year depending on the services offered. Services include transportation, grocery delivery, home repairs, gardening and dog walking. Beacon Hill Village in Boston was started in 2001 and now there are more than 50 villages nationwide. Considering 90% of the population wants to stay in their homes and 19% of the population will be 65 or older by 2050, "it takes a village".
