Our relationships with other people can play a key role in our cognitive health as we age, and a new study finds a little socializing, can go a long way.
That's the findings of researchers at Johns Hopkins University. They say older adults who don't get a lot of social interaction have a 27% higher chance of developing dementia than those who are more socially active.
That can be as simple as going to church, or going out to dinner with friends. But, avoiding those activities can cause the brain to deteriorate faster than usual.
Scott Seeger, a dementia care specialist at the Aging and Disability Resource Center of Central Wisconsin, said, "Our job is to really help families work towards those interventions where people can remain socially active, and not be isolated. When the brain is not stimulated, it really impacts the ability for that brain to remain healthy."
Seeger says they try to get patients to do activities they enjoyed when they were younger, to help them keep their brains sharp. He also stresses the sooner they intervene, the easier it will be to slow dementia down.
