Age and brain speed

[cgallery]

I have a customer that is retired (in his upper 80's).

Smart guy, he got undergraduate, graduate, and doctorate degrees from MIT. When I search for his name on google patents it comes up w/ pages and pages.

In the last few years I've seen a marked decrease in his brain processing speed. It just takes him a long time to process information.

Can anything be done to slow or reverse that process?

He enjoys playing solitaire, I told him he should start playing timed games, and he seemed to enjoy that.

I found this:
http://www.brainage.com/launch/index.jsp

Which I think is kinda of interesting. It would be neat if there was something similar (or better) for Winblows PC's. If it works, that is.

What role does conversation have in the process? I don't get the impression that he gets out very much. He reads a lot, but what role would isolation play in this aspect of aging process?

I ask for myself as much as anything. I'd like to keep my faculties (little that I have) as long as possible.

[tommyt654]

Have him go here,http://www.funtrivia.com/, I,ll play 5-10 games in a day and they are for the most part timed and he can compete against folks from all over the world if he choses too.I play the one that,s called the Global Trivia Challenge and look forward to him or anyone else to play. But he,s probabaly is just bored. I took care of my elderly folks for several yrs before they passed on and what I found was any outdoor experience significantly empowered their abilitys to talk and do more. My suggestion is if you have the time, get him out even for short periods can be beneficial to him and yourself as they tend to talk more and you can learn so much more in conversation with the elderly than any good book will ever provide

[LinuxRandal]

I have a customer that is retired (in his upper 80's).

Smart guy, he got undergraduate, graduate, and doctorate degrees from MIT. When I search for his name on google patents it comes up w/ pages and pages.

In the last few years I've seen a marked decrease in his brain processing speed. It just takes him a long time to process information.

Can anything be done to slow or reverse that process?

He enjoys playing solitaire, I told him he should start playing timed games, and he seemed to enjoy that.

I found this:
http://www.brainage.com/launch/index.jsp

Which I think is kinda of interesting. It would be neat if there was something similar (or better) for Winblows PC's. If it works, that is.

What role does conversation have in the process? I don't get the impression that he gets out very much. He reads a lot, but what role would isolation play in this aspect of aging process?

I ask for myself as much as anything. I'd like to keep my faculties (little that I have) as long as possible.

One of the Doc's will chime in! I am not an expert, I can only tell you what little I know from experience of loosing 20 friends to brain tumors, and losing some family and friends to Senile dementia (what is was called back then, could be a couple of things now) and alzheimer's.
If you don't know if he has any medical conditions, that should be needed information (assuming this isn't just about you and the future). Talking with people and reliving memories, helps keep the neuron pathways open. (kind of like an open highway, verses a road that hasn't been driven since 1950).
Word games can help (heard various recommendations, like Crossword puzzles), these also cause one to search ones mind.
Diet and excersize, (Charlie Rose just had one of his health discussions and they talked a little about the new research finding connections between colesterol genes and Alzheimers). You might be able to find that on You Tube. Generally staying active! I've seen a few people die, who retired a year or less prior as they didn't have things to do, or weren't in good health enough to do the things they thought they would do in "their golden years".

Also, not getting out much has some other factors, like your friends are moved away, or passed away. Generation gap ("these young whipper snappers these days" syndrome), which can be fought against by asking both their history and through similar interests (woodworking is an example itself). Drivers license issues and lack of mobility. Will to live, Etc.

[cwsmith]

I would think a lot would depend on the individual, their lifestyle, general health, and personality to some extent.

But from my experience, those that seem to be really active and enthusiastic with life are the winners in life. But of course, that isn't always the case.

My FIL, was always very happy and cheerful, liked doing a lot of things, but when he retired, he started spending much more time home. He unfortunately succumbed to Alzheimers and passed away in his early 80's.

By contrast, there is a fellow on our team who is soon to be 95. He's a retired chemistry professor. The gentleman is just always so cheerful, enthusiastive, loves getting out and participating whether it's playing golf, going to luncheons, parties, whatever. He's always on time and is one of the most dependable guys on our team. Still challenges himself too and seems to be on a constant quest to learn more. Also recognizes and cherishes even the simplest of joys that a lot of us just ignore.

I had a neighbor like that too... except her daily go-getter was local politics. What a firebrand! Lived into her early 90's.

I think what we need is just the physical ability to get through our days and a reason to get up in the morning and get out and do whatever we enjoy.

CWS

[phi1l]

Sublingual B-12.

B-12 deficiency will affect cognitive function.

B-12 gets absorbed new the end of the large intestine, but bacteria will gobble up B-12 before it gets there. TO prevent that, the stomach produces a substance called intrinsic factor that ties up the B-12 so the bacteria can't get it. As we age the stomach produces less & less of the intrinsic factor. As a result, as we get older we tend to be B-12 deficient.

To rectify the condition you need either: 1) B-12 shots, 2) take sublingual B12- that gets absorbed with saliva before it gets to the digestive system, 3) There is supposedly a B-12 already combine with intrinsic factor, but I have never seen it.

[cabinetman]

My suggestion is if you have the time, get him out even for short periods can be beneficial to him and yourself as they tend to talk more and you can learn so much more in conversation with the elderly than any good book will ever provide

Stimulus can be good medicine. Conversation sure beats the heck out of playing solitaire.
.

[Ed62]

I don't know if this would help or not, but you might ask him about his roots. If he became interested in genealogy, he would be doing "detective work", and a "find" can be exciting.

If he has the physical abilities, training a puppy could give him a reason to get up in the morning, and it could also give him a lot of company.

I have a neighbor who is an electrical engineer, retired from out local power supplier. He's in his mid/upper 80s, and I was quite surprised last year when he asked me if his extension cord was too light for whatever he was using it for.

Ed

[Uncle Cracker]

I was going to offer my take on the subject, but I have apparently forgotten what I was going to say...