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Grandmothers Who Babysit May Have Reduced Risk of Alzheimer’s

Published on: March 7, 2015

by Kara Pendleton for IJReview:

A study of 186 Australian women ages 57-68 has revealed some surprising insights in the battle against Alzheimer’s and other diseases that affect cognitive functioning.

“The study, published in ‘Menopause’, the journal of the North American Menopause Society, finds post-menopausal women who spend time taking care of grandkids lower their risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and other cognitive disorders.”

While social engagement can have a positive effect on cognitive function in older women, the responsibility of child care gave the women a purpose, thus heightening their mood.

While social engagement can have a positive effect on cognitive function in older women, the responsibility of child care gave the women a purpose, thus heightening their mood.

However, according to ‘Alzheimer’s Weekly’, the study had some unexpected results:

“They also found that the more time grandmothers spent taking care of the grandchildren, the more they felt that their children had been more demanding of them, so maybe mood plays a role in the unexpected result.”

The study showed that the ideal babysitting time for women aged 57 to 68 was one day a week, while lower cognitive functioning scores were received by those who babysat five, or more, days a week.

According to The National Institutes of Mental Health (NIH), there are 7 warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease:

  1. Asking the same question over and over again.
  2. Repeating the same story, word for word, again and again.
  3. Forgetting how to cook, or how to make repairs, or how to play cards—activities that were previously done with ease and regularity.
  4. Losing one’s ability to pay bills or balance one’s checkbook.
  5. Getting lost in familiar surroundings, or misplacing household objects.
  6. Neglecting to bathe, or wearing the same clothes over and over again, while insisting that they have taken a bath or that their clothes are still clean.
  7. Relying on someone else, such as a spouse, to make decisions or answer questions they previously would have handled themselves.

Alzheimers.net also notes that this is the first study to specifically evaluate the cognitive benefits of childcare for grandparents.

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