"Engagement in a Hobby Helps Fight Dementia?" Topic

…A new study published by the RAND Corporation in California identified several major predictors occurring around age 60 that are likely to lead to cognitive impairment and dementia in individuals by age 80…

One of the predictors is low engagement in a hobby.

Fox News: link

Hamster! Clock? Pickle!!!

Thank you, and I look forward to showing that item to my wife.

(Actually, I'm blessed that she has become quite supportive of my gaming and painting and making things. I think that's at least partly because my hobby is so much cheaper than a mistress or a boat and so much healthier than drinking.)

"Dementia" seems to have a technical meaning. I dare them to spend a weekend at Fall In and say we aren't crazy.

Crazy, but not demented!

I would have thought the opposite was the case. 🤪

I'm not so sure about the dementia thing, but as a hobby overall, most of our rowboats tend to go in circles most of the time.

Anything that exercises your little grey cells helps fight Dementia.

Quick, buy more figures!!!

That's just one data point out of many. I wouldn't read anything into it.

But I thought all that lead is what caused the dementia in the first place! Just ask the Romans.

But yeah, I certainly agree that anything that gets your brain working has to be good for you.

Possibly we're given bonus points for being harmless. I remember staff at the Host explaining how much easier we were to deal with than conventions involving doctors. As long as we were left alone with our toy soldiers, nothing else mattered very much.

Gaming is essentially an exercise is problem solving that is a brain exercise. That and to socialism that many of us enjoy are likely beneficial.

Fitzovich, leaving politics out of it, perhaps you meant "socialization" or "socializing?"

That's just one data point out of many. I wouldn't read anything into it.

The, read more…

link

Anything that exercises your little grey cells helps fight Dementia.

I've only read a couple dozen research reports on dementia mitigation, but a medical colleague who specializes in the field literally used the "little grey cells" Poirot reference to provide a summary of the current state of reserarch.

The next level down is that no particular general activity will fight dementia. It's about how you approach the activity … if you're inquisitive, reading, asking questions, and puzzling things out, it will help. Dementia mitigation reserach focuses on exploring explicit details of how much of what type of specific activity leads to what degree of what type of mitigation.

I remember staff at the Host explaining how much easier we were to deal with than conventions involving doctors. As long as we were left alone with our toy soldiers, nothing else mattered very much.

At a con, we (and most hobby con'ners) are pretty much all coming pretty much for the purpose of participating in the activities pretty much all the time. Sending your personal money and taking personal time to attend emphasizes that. Especially if you're cheap. Like me.

Generally, your work pays to send you to a professional con during the workweek, and gives you some degree of per diem money above covering the basic costs. Unless you're running part of the con, you probably have one specific event you're there for, maybe a two or three. The rest of the time is most likely at your discretion, free of your supervisor's scrutiny. Many are at "exotic" places, but free from the daily grind, exotic can have a broad scope.

It's about how you approach the activity … if you're inquisitive, reading, asking questions, and puzzling things out, it will help.

That's what I meant by "exercises".

Years ago I heard that there was general consternation in Europe over the hospitalization of a pioneer in sculpting lead figures for the secondary effects of having a high lead level.

The fear was that his frequent handling of lead in solid and molten forms had contaminated him, and it was only a matter of time until it effected everyone in the hobby.

A delegation went to see him in the hospital to discuss the long term implications of this situation.

He was initially perplexed over their concern until he came to understand the reason for their alarm.

He reassured them that his lead level problem was one of long standing. After WWII he'd been a border guard at the Iron curtain. The lead had come from hours of sacking fumes from cars running on leaded gas stuck in endless queues.

Nice. Now, I can source the claims I've been making for years to my wife. :)

pjm