Research increasing tells us that more social engagement delays memory loss as we age. This is not surprising because relating to other people exercises the memory at many levels. As we learn more about how memory works we understand that past experiences are constantly being recalled and associated with current perceptions and thoughts. When the resulting associations are themselves stored for future use, the memory is strengthened.
That is why strong social interaction with friends, family and community members can improve our brain health as we grow older. It also reinforces the understanding that social isolation is a major risk factor for mental and emotional decline for seniors. Recently the Harvard School of Public Health studied data from the Health And Retirement Study, that observed adults who were 50 years of age or more. The subjects of the study completed memory tests every two years. The researchers also measured the social activity of study participants based on marital status, volunteer activities and contact with parents, children and neighbors. The results showed that people in their 50s and 60s who engaged in a significant amount of social activity also had the slowest rate of memory loss. In fact, when they were compared to folks who were the least socially active, those who had the highest socialization scores had less than half the rate of memory loss.
Ironically, the increasing importance of social interaction occurs at a period of life when people are most vulnerable to isolation. Declining health, diminishing traditional support systems, the increasing independence of younger children and relatives and negative expectations about aging combine to produce loneliness and depression, which lead to accelerating health decline, and so forth. This is not necessary.
People who are suffering from these symptoms of aging are the least capable of helping themselves break free of the cycles that are robbing them of the potential for a great quality of life. It is critically important that those who care for and about them intervene, if necessary, to interrupt the cycles. This is not always easy in a society that values independence and non-interference. However, if we care about our aging population we must acknowledge that they are not as independent as they were, or as they think they are, or as they would like to be. We need to find creative ways to help them maintain their socialization opportunities and, thus, their memories. Technology is one such means, and community resources can offer many others. Nevertheless, it is likely to be up to those of us who owe them so much to pay it back by gently nudging them back into society when we see them slipping away.
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