“The more that you READ, the more things you will know. The more you LEARN, the more places you’ll go!”
– Dr Seuss
Reading is believed to have several potential benefits for cognitive health and might help delay the onset or progression of the disease.
- SleepJunkie suggests a potential correlation between reading before bed and improved sleep quality.
- Reading can reduce the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease by 2.5 times compared to people engaging in less mentally stimulating activities
The reasons reading is thought to be beneficial in this context are rooted in how the brain works and how it responds to different forms of stimulation. Here are some potential reasons:
- When you read, you process language, analyze information, make connections, and use your memory. Engaging in such activities regularly can help maintain and strengthen neural connections, promoting overall brain health.
- It promotes neuroplasticity, allowing the brain to compensate for damage and find alternate pathways for information processing. This adaptive capacity might help mitigate the effects of Alzheimer’s-related brain changes.
- Engaging in lifelong learning activities, including reading, can contribute to cognitive reserve. Cognitive reserve refers to the brain’s ability to tolerate damage caused by diseases like Alzheimer’s before showing noticeable. People with higher cognitive reserve might experience fewer symptoms even if Alzheimer’s-related brain changes are present.
- Reading can help reduce stress and promote relaxation.
Activities you can do with your Senior Client/Loved Ones:
Ask them to share their favorite books they have read and let them tell you what was it about and you can share your favorite ones.
Become trained as a senior caregiver to provide part-time or full-time care for seniors in their homes.
