What a breakthrough! We now have even more reason to engage in brain exercise.
This week a newly published scientific research study reports that brain exercise can defer the onset of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and shorten its time line. The study was conducted by neuropsychologist Dr. Robert Wilson of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and published Sept 1, 2010 in .
Wilson’s team studied 1157 healthy Chicago residents with a range of incomes and ethnic backgrounds, ages 65 and older, over a 6 year period. The bottom line of the study’s finding is that engaging in regular brain exercise has shown to defer the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. The cognitive reserve that results from leading a cognitively rich lifestyle helps people compensate in the early stages of AD. Even though a person may have the disease they are able to function normally and enjoy life for a longer period of time. The duration of the disease is shortened, and symptoms only appear at a point where the brain’s natural defenses (through cognitive reserve build up) are defeated.
For example, if you knew you had the fatal condition of AD and it would eventually result in death in 10 years, would you rather experience a slow and gradual deterioration over those 10 years, or a symptom free life for 7 years followed by rapid brain decline for the final 3 years? I believe most people would opt for the second alternative as it gives one the opportunity to prolong independence, purpose, and quality of life and limits the financial and emotional burden on one’s family.
So now that we agree on the individual benefits of deferring decline, let’s take a brief look at the potential positive implications of these findings on our health care systems, government expenditures and domestic caregivers.
First, let’s look at the numbers:
Total 2010 health care cost of treating AD 1 $172B
Total 2010 Medicare/Medicaid portion 1 $123B
# of people in USA diagnosed with AD 1 5.3M
Average cost to treat/care for this population per year 2 $32,453
Average # years of an AD patient’s life 3 6
Lifetime cost of care for this 2010 diagnosed population 2 >$1T
Rate of increase in AD cases by 2040 1 200%
You get the picture? It’s not pretty.
Now consider, through living a brain healthy lifestyle and engaging in regular, varied and novel brain training we could defer the onset of AD by 2 years or even just 1 year, what could the impact be?
Try this brain exercise…
• How many billions could be saved in health care cost?
• How much could the government save?
• What would the personal and financial impact be to the individual in question?
• What would the personal and financial impact be for their caregivers?
The numbers are indeed staggering. There are even more layers of effect when you consider some secondary implications. One such example is the fact that the longer a family caregiver is taking care of an AD patient, the more likely they are to suffer from depression and the more likely they are to be an AD patient themselves some day.
While there is a (very small!) risk of oversimplifying here, I believe it’s time to get serious about increasing our cognitive reserves through brain fitness and start as early in life as possible. Perhaps the cost savings realized by the government in caring for the AD epidemic can be reinvested in the education system, which in turn will increase the population’s cognitive reserve and in the process help the next generation lead a more vital life into old age? A more near term and practical approach might be government and health care industry incentives for seniors and boomers to engage in regular brain exercise.
I am interested in your thoughts on this subject. Please provide your opinion in the comment box below.
Sources:
1 Alzheimer’s Association 2010 Alzheimer’s disease Facts and Figures
2 Basic Calculation
3 Texas Department of State Health Services
Time article: Brain Exercises Delay, but Can’t Prevent, Dementia
National Public Radio segment: Mental Stimulation Postpones, Then Speeds Dementia