Working hard to beat Alzheimer’s

Did you hear about the big new breakthrough scientists have made in the area of preventing Alzheimer’s disease? It’s not a new kind of medication. It’s not a special diet. And it’s got nothing to do with how many miles you walked today.

If you really want to stave off the effects of that dread disease as you move into your golden years, scientists say, perhaps you just need to be more conscientious.

That starling news was reported in a study published in a recent issue of Archives of General Psychiatry that tracked the personality traits and mental capacity of a thousand elderly Catholic priests and nuns over a 12-year period. The study found that participants who had highly conscientious (hard-working, organized, and goal-oriented) personalities had a remarkable 89 percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s than their less ambitious counterparts.

Even more astounding was the fact that autopsies revealed that some of those conscientious folks who had shown no signs of dementia before they passed away had lesions in their brain that generally indicate the presence of Alzheimer’s. Although no is sure yet why the ambitious types seemed to be relatively immune to the disease, one theory is that the mental activity associated with their personality type might strengthen neural connections that ward off the decline of mental faculties.

In any case, the message is clear: if you want to keep your wits about you as you get older, don’t get too complacent. Always have goals and actively work towards them.

But what kind of goals can you expect someone who is in the twilight of their life to have, you ask? Haven’t you pretty much accomplished as much as you’re going to accomplish by time you reach retirement age?

Nonsense! Of course you aren’t going to have the same goals when you’re 70 as you did when you were 21, but that doesn’t mean that your life is any less meaningful. If you still have a pulse, you still have a purpose.

Positive people see problems as challenges and enjoy finding ways to navigate through life’s difficulties. Try to view aging as an opportunity to meet new challenges rather than something to dread and give in to. For example:

- Think of things you can do to compensate for the physical limitations you must deal with as your body ages. Maybe you need to rethink the way your house is laid out. Maybe you can invest in and learn to use some new gadgets that help you get around and get things done. And don’t be too proud to use your powers of persuasion to get younger folks to assist you when you need help. They probably need the exercise anyway.

- Speaking of the younger generation, don’t you think they would benefit from the wealth of experience you’ve gathered during your time on earth? Of course they would, and you ought to carve out some time each day to get them to open up about their problems so you can help them untangle the mess they’ve made of their lives. I’m sure you know some young people who could benefit from your time-seasoned problem-solving skills. Of course, they may be resistant to listening to your sage words of wisdom at first, so figuring out how to get their attention might require some extra mental effort. Bonus!

- If you really want to swing for the upper decks ambition-wise, try dating someone at least 20 years younger than yourself. Don’t think you have enough on the ball to play in that league? Well if you think that way my friend, you don’t! Be daring, and remember it is the effort that matters, not the results. However, I don’t recommend this one for married people. It is probably true that having a relationship with someone younger than yourself requires even more ambition, effort, and planning if you are married than if you are single, but that course of action may result in a premature death, which sort of defeats the purpose.