A new study has come to the conclusion that there is a genetic link between aging in a healthy way, and cognitive decline, or lack of. The study was an accrual of information over an eight year long period of time, and it found that those people how aged well had an above average number of genetic variants that seemed to offer a protection against the aging process and the cognitive decline that is typically associated with it.
The study defined seniors as being the most healthy when they did not suffer from chronic diseases, like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. The thought is that the same genetic makeup that protects from chronic disease also keeps the brain functioning at a higher level as people age. This relationship is an association, and not a cause and effect scenario, but it is still important to discover why some seniors stay healthy, and others don’t. This study is currently being referred to as the “Wellderly Study” because it looks at wellness in the elderly.
One of the big repercussions of these diseases is that they account for about 90 percent of all deaths in the United States, and treating these accounts for about 75 percent of all healthcare costs. Having a better way to treat these illnesses would be a great way to ease the burden that is currently on our healthcare system, and would make it far easier for elder care physicians in the future to help senior citizens as the population shifts toward an older group of people living in the U.S. This is one issue that many in the field are concerned about, and a better understanding of what causes both chronic diseases and cognitive issues would go a long way toward helping millions of people. This is just the start here, but it’s a good step in the right direction.
We can’t do a thing to influence the genetic makeup of our elderly loved ones, and to a high degree, we really don’t know much about which genes they possess and which they don’t. But we can be prepared for most of the common scenarios that unfold in people’s lives as they age. Hopefully they will never need prolonged senior care, but most people do, and having a plan in place to anticipate this is smart. Most elder care advocates believe that aging in place is far healthier for most seniors, and the easiest way to do this and still provide senior care of some sort is through in-home care. The caregiver’s schedule can be as many hours or as few as your family situation calls for, and it keeps your loved one in a place that they are familiar with and happy at. Again, hopefully you or your family will never need senior care, but if you do, it’s better to be prepared with a good plan. This is where senior care specialists like Paradise In-Home Care can step in and help. And the sooner you start planning, the less stressful the entire process becomes.
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