Retirement and Alzheimer's Disease

Contributed by: Dennis Fortier, President, Medical Care Corporation
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Is there a relationship between retirement and Alzheimer's disease? Sure, they both tend to happen later in life, but is there a deeper connection?

The answer to this question is not known with any certainty. However, there is growing evidence that keeping your mind actively engaged in purposeful activities may reduce the risk of cognitive decline. A meaningful job, or at least an occupation that one strives to do well, provides a structure for such constant, mental engagement.

It is plausible that the removal of such structure, through retirement at a socially anticipated age in the mid to late sixties, could have a significant impact on the cognitive wellness of an entire population. If so, actively developing a new perspective on how we view retirement and the relative merits of the "easy life", might be an excellent avenue for improving the health of our aging nation.

An excellent discussion of this topic, including the informed opinions of Dr. Jeffrey Cummings, Director of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, was published last week in the Las Vegas Review Journal.
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A better understanding and more awareness of Alzheimer's related issues can impact personal health decisions and generate significant impact across a population of aging individuals. Please use the share buttons below to spread this educational message as widely as possible.

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