Last week I attended a talk that presented new research on brain fitness, the biggest concern of many baby boomers.
Delivered by the past president of the American Association of Geriatric Psychiatry, this talk outlined emerging research on how clients in their 50s and 60s can reduce the risk of Alzheimers as they age. This talk also provided a link to a free site that allows people 50 to 79 to test their memory and determine if they should be worried about occasional difficulty retrieving information.
The biggest concern for boomers
At a recent roundtable discussion with top advisors, I asked attendees to write down the biggest fear of clients in their 50s, 60s and 70s. The initial answers revolved around running out of money, whether due to unexpected health issues, inflation or the need to support parents or children.
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Then we came to a woman who manages $500 million for 150 households. “For my clients, the biggest issue has nothing to do with money,” she said. “The nightmare scenario for my clients is developing Alzheimers and becoming a burden on their spouse, and especially on their children.”
That sparked a vigorous exchange in which advisors talked about their encounters with clients suffering from dementia and the toll that took on their families. The advisors universally agreed that running into health problems was their clients’ biggest concern – with dementia at the top of the list.
The Alzheimers epidemic
Dr. William Reichman is CEO of Baycrest Health Sciences, a global leader in research on aging. He began by talking about how Alzheimers is becoming the number one concern for baby boomers in their 50s and 60s – what cancer was for their grandparents and what heart disease was for their parents.
Alzheimers is the number one cause of dementia, with no prevention or cure. This has huge implications both at an individual and a societal level. Driven by an aging demographic, in the past 10 years the number of patients suffering from Alzheimers has increased by almost 40%, from 25 million to 35 million. But in the period ahead, experts at UCLA estimate an aging population and late diagnosis mean that Alzheimers risks becoming a full-blown public health crisis with a projection of over 100 million patients by 2050.
Dr. Ron Brookmeyer leads a team at UCLA that studies Alzheimers. They have found that the rate of being diagnosed with Alzheimers in older populations doubles every five years. Today the probability of a diagnoses at age 77 is 1%, but by 82 it is 2% and by 87 it is 4%.
Five steps to lower the risk of Alzheimers
In his talk, Reichman made it clear that based on current research Alzheimers cannot be prevented. And while he showed a 2013 headline from Reuters talking about a call by the Group of Eight developed countries to mount an AIDS-style fight against Alzheimers, with the goal of finding an effective treatment by 2015, he emphasized that we shouldn’t count on this succeeding.
At the same time, he did identify four things that if started in middle life can reduce the risk of encountering Alzheimers.
Those four things are physical exercise, nutritional choices, cognitive exercises and lifestyle decisions.
Reichman pointed to research that six months of moderate physical exercise alters brain activity and produces significant improvements in cognitive functioning. In fact, many boomers have already built physical exercise into their lives, prompted by popular books such as Younger Next Year – something that two of the advisors who participated at the roundtable send to clients as retirement gifts.
On nutritional choices, Reichman talked about research that diets associated with lower levels of heart disease also reduce the risk of Alzheimers. One example is a diet emphasizing antioxidant foods such as berries, raisins, tomatoes and leafy green vegetables. Also in this category is the Mediterranean diet with its focus on cold water fish, vegetables and olive oil, which also avoids animal fats. On vitamins and dietary supplements, Reichman said there is no evidence for these unless a deficiency is identified.
When he talked about cognitive exercises, Reichman expressed skepticism about some of the commercial “brain games,” the best known of which is Lumosity, and he pointed to a $2 million fine paid by Lumosity earlier this year to settle Federal Trade Commission charges around deceptive advertising. Instead he talked about the benefits of varying routines with different types of activities. Instead he pointed to a large research study on the impact of small group training sessions for seniors. With an average age of 74, these seniors were exposed to 10 sessions on memory, reasoning and processing speed; five and ten years later they showed improved reasoning ability and reduced risk of dementia.
Reichman spent the most time talking about several categories of lifestyle decisions that research shows can reduce the chances of Alzheimers.
Anything that controls your stress level is beneficial – Reichman used listening to music, meditation and mindfulness training as examples.
- Increase the complexity of your work
The more complex your work and the more your mind is challenged, the more you reduce the odds of encountering Alzheimers.
- Gain exposure to new situations
Trying new experiences is another way to keep the mind active and reduce the risk of Alzheimers. As an example, for people who regularly complete crossword puzzles, he advocated trying Sudoku or bridge or other activities that will exercise different parts of the brain. And
- Boost recreational activity
Anything that keeps people active is beneficial. Reichman pointed to research on how leisurely dancing can increase blood flow to the brain, reduce symptoms and improve the mood among patients suffering from Parkinson’s.
Anything that keeps people active is beneficial. Reichman pointed to studies with healthy seniors where 90 minute autobiographical writing sessions over an eight week period improved brain processing speed, verbal learning and attention. He talked about how healthy seniors exposed to nine sessions of theater training over four weeks improved memory recall, problem-solving and emotional wellbeing. And Reichman discussed research on how leisurely dancing can increase blood flow to the brain and reduce symptoms and improve the mood among patients suffering from Parkinson’s.
Reichman finished by pointing to research on the positive impact of social engagement. In one study, seniors who volunteered in kindergarten to grade three schools for 15 hours per week, working in the library or tutoring, showed an improvement in cognitive function. At the same time, the children who these seniors interacted saw enhanced learning as a result of their interactions.
He also discussed a Baycrest initiative called “the Bravo Project” in which 200 volunteers age 55 and over regularly helped out with seniors at the home. After a year, results showed improved physical health, cognitive test performance and overall wellbeing. Along similar lines, a New York Times article last week by the Dalai Lama on The Universal Need to Be Needed talked about research on how senior citizens who didn’t feel useful were three times as likely to die prematurely.
A free memory test
If you engage clients in conversations about all the aspects of their lives rather than just their money, chances are that you will hear about parents and family members who are suffering from Alzheimers.
As he wrapped us his talk, William Reichman pointed to a free website which allows people 50 to 79 to test their memory. Any clients who are concerned can go to www.cogniciti.com and in 20 minutes get a reading on where their memory stands – an investment of time that can pay big dividends in peace of mind.
Dan Richards conducts programs to help advisors gain and retain clients and is an award winning faculty member in the MBA program at the University of Toronto. To see more of his written commentaries, go to www.danrichards.com.
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