Active living seniors can keep their minds'sharp with intellectual pursuits, study finds

Seniors who would like to extend their active living years might benefit from mental exercises such as puzzles, reading, word games and lectures, according to a study published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.


The study also found a link between a college education and a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease.

"The lifelong benefits of higher education for memory in later life are quite impressive, but we do not clearly understand how and why these effects last so long," lead author of the study, psychologist Margie Lachman, said in a statement.


Lachman suggests that the findings will be beneficial in reducing the need for Alzheimer's care, as they suggest that there will be "ways to level the playing field for those with lower educational achievement, and protect those at greatest risk for memory declines."


According to the Mayo Clinic, approximately 5 percent of people between the ages of 65 and 74 suffer from Alzheimer's disease. The condition is the most common cause of dementia.



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