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Solving the dementia puzzle: Drop in Alzheimers credited to ongoing education, active brains
Area senior advocates offer support to seniors, caregivers facing disease
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The Rev. Jessie Jenkins of St. John Baptist Church puts together a puzzle Saturday at the Ashton Senior Living facility in Gainesville. The senior living facility encourages its residents to play games and put puzzles together to strengthen their cognitive abilities. - photo by Erin O. Smith
Education may be the missing piece in the puzzle of solving why rates of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia have decreased lately. According to new research released Monday, the rate of the disease in adults aged 65 and older dropped to about 9 percent in 2012 from nearly 12 percent in 2000, continuing a decline noted in earlier research. However, if the population of this group of people continues to rise, the rate of Alzheimer’s may rise with it.