Chores may help seniors stave off dementia


Seniors doing daily tasks may lower risk of dementiaMany seniors will try everything possible to avoid suffering from Alzheimer's disease. A new study suggests that continuing to complete everyday chores can help stave off dementia so seniors can have the retirement living experience that they desire.

The study, which was published in the Archives of International Medicine, determined that daily tasks such as mowing the lawn, running errands or doing laundry may keep dementia at bay. These daily routines provide seniors with exercise that they need to keep their brains functional, the researchers say.

"All those things that you would never think of as exercise, they get our heart rate up and make our blood vessels pump blood," said study co-author Todd Manini. "But we kind of ignored them in the past and thought mainly about volitional exercise, such as jogging. What this study is telling us is those other activities might also count for health benefits."

According to the Alzheimer's Association, this disease affects 5.4 million people in the U.S., and that number is expected to grow exponentially as the massive amount of baby boomers begin to reach retirement age.
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