This week, a grab bag of things that are good for you. First, your ears. Are you 60 or over? Statistically, there’s a two-in-three chance you have some hearing loss, because that’s a common population estimate. It’s also an age group that is more likely to experience a decline in cognitive abilities, and for some people, that age-related cognitive decline may keep on going.
When cognitive impairment is sufficiently severe that it’s affecting your work and/or social life, we’re into dementia territory. It’s important to note that, at the mild end, cognitive decline and dementia may go hand in hand but they’re not the same thing. Dementia is more global, meaning more parts of your mental life are affected.
Of course, finding a solution for dementia is a holy grail of clinical science. Until we find a magic bullet, the challenge is to find things that slow down cognitive decline when it begins.
It’s not the magic bullet, but there’s good reason for older folk who feel things are slowing down a bit to look into a hearing aid.
The source of this hope was presented at the July Alzheimer’s Association International Conference and simultaneously published in the Lancet. Under the banner of the Ageing and Cognitive Health Evaluation in Elders (Achieve) study, a large group of folk showed that rates of cognitive decline in a group of older adults with mild to moderate hearing loss were slowed by almost 50%, compared with a control group who weren’t using hearing aids.
The caveat is that this effect was only found for a subset of participants who had a bigger roster of risk factors for cognitive decline than the overall study population.
At the same time, it seems that hearing is pretty important, for example, for participating in and enjoying your work and/or social life (the same domains affected by cognitive decline), on top of the benefits of being able to enjoy interactions and therefore reduce loneliness.
But it’s also easier to think – the Achieve study speculates that wearing a hearing aid makes it easier to hear (duh!), easing the cognitive load.
Second in the grab bag is “grip strength”. When I was younger and playing a lot of tennis, I could crush a walnut in my bare hands. Today, not so much, but I’m working on it.
Resistance exercise – pulling on rubber bands or pushing weights – is particularly important as we age. From about the age of 30 we “lose” muscle mass at between 3% and 8% per decade – sarcopenia, it’s called. This is why I have taken to picking things up and putting them down.
Unsurprisingly, your grip strength is a pretty good rule of thumb for your overall physical condition. It predicts risk of physical conditions such as diabetes, strokes and cardiovascular “events”, and even how often you take a tumble.
It also predicts cognitive functioning, anxiety, depression and suicidality. A 2021 Korean study of more than 14,000 people showed that being able to squeeze 1 kilogram more than the person next to you means your odds of suicidal thoughts are about 4% less than theirs.
A 2019 study of a slightly smaller group of Americans had shown a 16% decrease per 5kg increase in grip strength. Men show a slightly stronger association than women.
Why? Well, physical and psychological health are connected, but it’s also possible that how well you can hold things tells you how effective you are physically and, experts speculate, makes you less vulnerable to the feelings of helplessness and hopelessness that characterise suicidal thoughts and depression.
So, Dr Marc’s prescription (remember, I’m not that kind of doctor) is to get your hearing checked and, if you’re not already doing so, explore how to start safely picking things up and putting them down.
Where to get help:
If it’s an emergency and you feel that you or someone else is at risk, call 111.
· Need to talk? Free call or text 1737 any time for support from a trained counsellor
· Suicide Crisis Helpline – 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO)
· Lifeline – 0800 543 354 (0800 LIFELINE) or free text 4357 (HELP)
· Youthline – 0800 376 633, free text 234 or email talk@youthline.co.nz or online chat
· 0800 What’s Up - 0800 942 8787
· Samaritans – 0800 726 666
· Depression Helpline: 0800 111 757 or free text 4202 to talk to a trained counsellor, or visit depression.org.nz
· Anxiety New Zealand - 0800 269 4389 (0800 ANXIETY)
· Healthline – 0800 611 116
· Additional specialist helpline links: https://www.mentalhealth.org.nz/get-help/in-crisis/helplines/
