As humans get older, the relationship between the brain and age becomes more tenuous. In many cases, even if dementia is not in the picture, you may find your aging loved one slowing down a bit. This can pertain to physical as well as mental changes that take place during a person’s golden years.
Why Does the Brain Slow Down?
Particularly affecting the areas involved with mental acuity and learning activities, the brain shrinks as your loved ones age. After the age of 40, the brain shrinks at a rate of about 5% per decade. After 70, even faster. Slower neuron communication may be a result of changes that take place in the brain as your loved ones age. Blood flow may also decrease if inflammation increases.
Changes That Take Place
Memory loss is one of the most common changes, cognitively speaking. You may find your loved ones misplacing keys more often, having trouble recalling numbers, names, etc. In fact, already at age 20, this kind of decline can begin. It can take longer for your loved ones to memorize new information, process things, and it can become harder to multi-task.
Don’t be afraid! At a certain level, this happens to everyone. The experts tell us that the process, though it can be scary, is normal.
Changes By Age
As your loved ones age, you will start to notice the changes in them:
- In the 60s: The brain may experience diminished efficiency where adding to or accessing knowledge is concerned. At approximately age 65 and above, the risk for Alzheimer’s disease is at its greatest.
- In the 70s and beyond: Where brain activity, physicality, general health, and more are concerned, a lot can depend on genetics, how active your loved ones are, lifestyle, environment, diet, etc. Someone in their 70s may recall things just as well as they did in their 20s, while someone else in their 70s could be forgetting things on a regular basis (not as a result of dementia). It’s different for everyone.
- By age 85, the risk for Alzheimer’s disease could be 50%.
There Is Good News
Scientists now firmly believe that, notwithstanding some of the declines that you may notice in your loved ones as they age, there is a positive side. The brain evolves and adapts, allowing your loved ones to respond better to life experiences and meet new challenges. New connections are made by nerve cell generation which allows for better behavioral and mental flexibility.
Professional Care At Rittenhouse Village At Northside
At Rittenhouse Village At Northside, we have several living options including our SHINE® Memory Care program, as well as assisted living and senior respite care. If your retirement age loved ones are slowing down a little, not thinking as quickly as they used to do, require a bit of assistance with daily living activities, etc., it might be time to consider assisted living. Here, they will get the help they need yet be able to enjoy as much independence as possible. With all the amenities we offer, it’s more like living at a resort than a retirement community!
If you’d like to speak to someone regarding sales and leasing, please phone us at 317-659-3034. Other inquiries can be discussed with a representative by calling 317-575-9200. To quickly and easily open the lines of communication, consider filling out our convenient online form.
Even better, you can schedule a tour today to see for yourself all we have to offer.
