Gerontologists, neurologists, and researchers know that
social isolation is a risk factor for mental and physical decline among older
adults. But why? The brain needs language to keep “firing” and stimulate neurocircuitry and
neuropathways that keep the brain healthy, strong, and functioning at maximum
capacity. Social isolation and disengagement lead to a type of mental
stagnation.
Excessive
television viewing is passive engagement and has little brain stimulation. Older
adults who spend more than 1.5 hours of watching television daily are at higher
risk for dementia and health declines (Budson, 2023). Not only is television
watching a passive activity, but it is also sedentary, leading to physical
health declines.
I
have noticed that older adults with hearing loss sometimes prefer to remain in
their silent bubble and forgo hearing aids. The result is usually social
isolation. People avoid them because yelling is exhausting and forget about
going to a restaurant or public event. Communicating with a person refusing to
wear hearing aids is exhausting and selfish. I do not like admitting this, but
I avoid them. This type of self-imposed social isolation is the first step in
mental decline. People need language to keep our brains healthy. Think about
it: In a conversation, you assess body language, you actively listen, formulate
your response, speak, listen again, and so forth and so on. The brain is
conceptualizing, organizing, and modulating actions and reactions. It is quite
a workout!
Does Zooming or Skyping
count as “conversations” that stimulate the brain? Yes! A recent research study
funded by the National Institutes on Aging suggests that socially isolated
adults scored higher on cognitive tests after participating in weekly online
conversations designed to stimulate brain regions associated with memory,
executive function, and abstract thought (Dodge et al., 2024). Although the
study had only 186 participants and further studies are needed, the Dodge study
suggests that online conversations between older adults raised cognitive
testing scores. This is promising! Older adults who have few opportunities to
engage with friends in person may retain and improve cognitive functioning
using the internet.
References:
Budson, A.E. (10 April
2023). Does less TV time lower your risk
for dementia? https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/does-less-tv-time-lower-your-risk-for-dementia-202304102910#:~:text=Over%2012%20years%2C%20on%20average,decreased%20the%20risk%20of%20dementia.
Dodge, H. H., Yu, K., Wu, C. Y., Pruitt, P. J.,
Asgari, M., Kaye, J. A., Hampstead, B. M., Struble, L., Potempa, K.,
Lichtenberg, P., Croff, R., Albin, R. L., Silbert, L. C., & I-CONECT Team
(2024). Internet-Based Conversational Engagement Randomized Controlled Clinical
Trial (I-CONECT) Among Socially Isolated Adults 75+ Years Old with Normal
Cognition or Mild Cognitive Impairment: Topline Results. The Gerontologist, 64(4), gnad147. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnad147
Language in the brain: (2009) https://www.amnh.org/explore/videos/humans/human-brain-language
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