How to stay mentally healthy as you age

As one ages certain factors concerning one's health, in particula mental health become a reality. Aging however affects each individual differently. Some people may remain alert and active well into their 90's. Others seem old in every way as early as their 60's

Some factors that influence the attitudes and behaviors of older people include:

• Personality
• Physical, mental and emotional health
• Intellectual functioning
• Economic and environmental limitations
• Family relationships
• Inner motivation

These factors ultimately affect an older person's overall mental health, causing or complicating one of several mental disorders.  Mental health issues that may occur may include,

Depression:  Depression is a very common mental disorder in the aging population.  Depression is caused by a number of factors, from chemical imbalances to environmental influences, mostly isolation which the elderly population is prone to. Other factors could be loss of a dream or guilt.

Dementia:   Only a small portion of the aging population, roughly 10 percent, suffers from dementia. Dementia is a disorder marked by memory impairment and intellectual decline and changes in comprehension and judgment, language, recognition, behavior and personality. While these symptoms are sometimes thought of as typical signs of growing old, in reality they reflect underlying illnesses. 

Some conditions that cause dementia include: Alzheimer's disease, stroke, brain infections and tumors, Parkinson's or Huntington's disease, depression, nutritional disorders, excessive medication, and alcoholism. Not all these conditions associated with dementia are progressive; they can be stopped or even reversed. It is therefore important that a physician complete a thorough dementia evaluation

Staying Mentally Alert:

Although most of us are likely to develop some loss of mental acuity as we age, thankfully, it is not destined to be noticeable. The belief that mental decline as we age is inevitable has been dispelled. Recent research has found that despite the brain becoming smaller and lighter as we grow older, it is more resilient and adaptable than once thought. As some cells die, their role is taken up by others. Given the opportunity, the brain is capable of creating new connections between cells, thus allowing it to remain sharp and alert all of our life. To be able to retain the brains resilience certain activities are needed like,

 Stimulating the brain:
The more you keep your brain challenged the more you protect it against the effects of aging. Although the amount or specific type of intellectual activity to accomplish this has not been identified, according to available evidence, an extraordinary amount of effort is not likely to be required to ward off or even reverse mental decline. While any mentally challenging activity practiced with frequency is seen as beneficial, playing board games, a musical instrument, doing crossword puzzles and reading have been identified as being particularly advantageous.

Other activities that can help are any form of writing, traveling, learning a new language, taking part in discussion groups, taking an adult education class, joining a book club or an art programme or becoming involved in paid or volunteer work.  Lately, playing video games has been found to be stimulating and beneficial in keeping the older person mentally alert. The possibilities are seemingly infinite. The important thing is that it is stimulating, enjoyable and practiced with regularity.


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