Education and Post-Stroke Risk

New research shows that people that have gone through higher education, like completing a college degree, tend to be at a higher risk for some types of mental decline after suffering from a stroke. 

 

Stroke has long been associated with cognitive decline. This makes sense; a stroke occurs when there is aninterruption to the oxygen flow to the brain. This results in the loss of brain cells and is the reason why things like speech and movement issues occur. While there are things that can be done to help retrain the brain and foster new pathways for sending information throughout the brain, dead brain cells cannot regenerate.

 

However, this study showed that people who have attended at least some form of higher education tend to see faster declines at a certain point after a stroke occurs. 

 

 

People that graduated from college saw less cognitive decline in the time immediately following a stroke. However, there were areas where cognitive decline was accelerated for those that fit this category.

 

This pertained mainly to executive functioning. For those with a college background, executive functioning declined at a faster rate than for those that did not have this.

 

For now, the researchers believe that the reason why this happens isn’t because those that have attended some sort of college educational program are more or less resistant to stroke, but because those who have attended these courses tend to be able to retain information and cognitive functioning for longer periods of time–until a brain injury (such as stroke) occurs.

 

This research comes from the University of Michigan. The team published their findings in the journal, JAMA Network Open. Hopefully, this research helps us to take another step forward in the fight against cardiovascular disease. Strokes pose a major risk to seniors, and the more information we have about how and why they occur–along with better ways to prevent and treat them–the higher the quality of life that people can experience.

 

Brain atrophy occurs for everyone as they age, regardless of educational or stroke status. However, there are things that can be done to help. Exercise, healthy diet, quitting smoking, and other things can sometimes help to stave off or slow down this process.

 

Prevention and treatment are all parts of a healthy approach to aging. Having a strong plan for senior care also should play a prominent role in the planning process. If you have questions about senior care, please let us know. We offer free consultation sessions that are designed to answer your questions, go over what might work best for your unique set of circumstances, and then get you connected to the resources that will be helpful. There’s no cost and no obligation on your part. Our goal is to help your family.

 

And if we can provide in-home care for your family, we’d be honored to do so. We know that it’s not the right solution for everyone, but it can be helpful for many more people than you might think.

 

Give us a call today to get started. We’re here for you.