Delaying retirement may delay dementia

[BurtWorm]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/may/18/alzheimers-disease-dementia-retirement

|||Yesterday 6:01 AM|James Meikle
Research suggests significant link between later retirement and delayed symptoms of Alzheimer's disease

Working beyond normal retirement age might help stave off dementia, scientists said today.

Keeping the brain active later in life appears to reduce the chances of an early onset of Alzheimer's disease, according to a study of 382 men with probable dementia. The researchers suggest a significant link between later retirement and delayed symptoms.

The findings emerged from a wider study on data from 1,320 people with dementia led by members of the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College, London, and funded by the Alzheimer's Research Trust and the Medical Research Council.

The researchers found no link between education or employment and dementia risk, but found that those who retired later prolonged their mental abilities above the threshold for dementia.

Simon Lovestone, scientific adviser to the trust and one of the authors of a paper published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, said: "The intellectual stimulation that older people gain from the workplace may prevent a decline in mental abilities, thus keeping people above the threshold for dementia for longer. Much more research is needed if we are to understand how to effectively delay, or even prevent, dementia."

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[raccoon]

1. A good reason to work until you die.

:rofl:

[islandmkl]

2. let's just say....with certain life choices and general attitude...

i got that covered....

[old mark]

3. I retired at 59. I have already had 2 heart attacks, bypass surgery and a pacemaker

and I was not going to work till I died.

Haven't so far.....

mark

[Shireling]

4. HMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

Sounds like the government is wanting to up the retirement age.

[ThomWV]

5. I'm not much suprised to tell the truth - and I retired at 57.

I retired five years ago, at the age of 57. I had no real idea what retirement would hold for me but there was one thing I was sure of, I would not become a Mall-zombie. Walk into any closed shopping center in this country and in the main public areas you'll see old men sitting idle staring aimlessly at the floor in front of their feet. The living dead.

Another thing - having a job eats into drinking time. I've seen retirees by the droves who drank more and more after they quit work and as a side note eating worse and worse because of it.

Of course many more take the time they give themselves with early retirement and use it in ways that aren't so self destructive but it only takes a few of the former to skew the statistics toward the results you see. So I find the result easy enough to believe.

[elocs]

6. It's the rare, unusual, and lucky person who can say on their deathbed,

"Gee, I wish I had spent more time at work".

Delaying retirement may be fine for white collar workers, but there are many of us who do physical labor for work and sometimes hard physical labor who are looking forward to retiring as soon as we can because our bodies are just getting worn out. There are also many people who are physically incapable of delaying retirement.

That being said, retirement does not have to mean vegging out and letting your brain whither away. It could well be a great opportunity to do things or work or volunteer which you previously could not afford to do. I, for one, will not delay my retirement a day longer than I am eligible.

[HelenWheels]

9. Well said

If you are a Senator or congressman you can work forever because you have staff to meet all your physical needs. I'm a retired nurse who retired at age 62. After I retired I couldn't believe the amount of stress I had been under at work, and I liked my job. 70 is too long to remain on the work force. I think this study is another try by the government to get the public to believe retirement is detrimental to the individual.

[RebelOne]

11. 70 is not too long to remain in the work force.

I am 70 and still work full-time. I often think about retiring, but then think, "What would I do?" I would be bored to tears. Fortunately, I have a desk job. I am probably going to work until I die. Also, I don't think I could do without the extra money from my job. I also collect social security, but I could not live on just that. I have a 401K, but that is practically worthless now.

[elocs]

12. Yes, it's easy to make that claim with a desk job

but it's a different story if your work involves physical labor or is simply stressful. Bored to tears?
Ever consider volunteer work or working at a job that you might really enjoy but it paid too little for a full time living? There are so many other things to do other than to work until you die. Have some imagination.

[elocs]

13. I have no intention of working until 70 to retire just to get an additional $400 a month.

My wants and needs are simple and inexpensive and I have always adjusted my lifestyle to the amount of income I was making. I've crunched the numbers to see the difference for me in retiring at 66 or 70 and for me it is a no-brainer to retire at 66. I will do it and never look back.

[stevedeshazer]

7. Great. At this rate, I'll never be demented.

[MindPilot]

8. A someone who is about to "early retire" from IT, I welcome the onset of dementia

I can only imagine how liberating not knowing anything about computers would be.

[cmd]

10. I retired when I was 60

and have been working at thinks I want to do ever since. Retirement is about choice. You either choose to sit in a chair and stare at the walls or you
get off your duff and do something to make the world a better place. I choose not to sit. Off to the garden.

[Javaman]

14. well, that works out just fine for me! I have already planned for dying at my desk!

Weeeee!!! I'm ahead of the curve!!! I'm ahead of the curve!!!

[Vinca]

15. We decided long ago that we'd work until we keeled over.

At this point, retirement is not an economic option anyway. I'm just not the living on a golf course and going to senior aerobics kind of person.