At Family inHome Caregiving we believe it’s important for our senior clients to have a healthy diet, social interaction and the proper amount of exercise. That can be a challenge with COVID-19, particularly social interaction. Teach your loved ones how to use zoom or skype. A telephone call now and again is fine, but it’s not enough. Seniors need face-to-face interaction with their family. The Wall Street Journal recently ran a story about this issue, and pointed to a study where researchers compared the cognitive performance of mice who lived alone in empty cages with those who lived in large houses equipped with colorful Lego blocks for mental stimulation, running wheels for exercise and other mice for social engagement. When mice lived in rich environments, their brains underwent physical changes: More neurons were generated in the brain’s memory center, the hippocampus, and strong synaptic activity supported learning. Even mice that had their genomes altered to develop the equivalent of Alzheimer’s disease experienced enhanced brain activity and performed better in maze tests that they had previously flunked. Other studies in humans have showed similar results.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/can-an-active-lifestyle-help-ward-off-alzheimers-11614264941
