Seniors Learning to Use Computers

By Jan Shapan:

Computer literacy among the senior population above the age of 70+ is still nominal but as the current wave of Boomers move into that age range, computer literacy is expected to jump. And new findings suggest computer literacy may be a positive contributor to overall senior health.

Senior citizens that use a computer in the later years of life combined with reasonable physical exercise have lower risk of mild cognitive impairment. Some combination of activities such as computer research, active reading, and playing various types of games seem to deliver the best results.

The study does not establish a pure cause-effect link but the findings suggest that seniors are less likely to suffer cognitive declines if they simply stay physically active and engage in metal activities, especially computer use according to Yonas Geda, MD and Ron Peterson, MD of the Mayo Clinic.

The study of aging by the Mayo Clinic used 926 people with an age range of 70 to 90 years. The study examined their mental and physical activities over the most recent year. Of the participants 817 were cognitively normal while 109 demonstrated mild levels of cognitive impairment.

The study findings were…

• With any level of only moderate exercise, people were 36% less likely to experience mild cognitive impairment than those who did nothing at all.
• With any level of computer use, people in the study were 44% less likely to experience mild cognitive impairment that those who didn’t use a computer at all.

In the context of the study, researchers didn’t define or differentiate the different uses of the computer that may have occurred. The findings simply affirm that good physical and mental activity for seniors keeps the brain in shape and both activities are better than just one alone.

The capacity people have to accomplish mental task also appears to be limited. Certainly some have more capacity than others but if you don’t use this capacity new findings suggest you lose them.

In another study involving approximately 700 seniors who had autopsies performed, the results suggested that people who were more actively engaged mentally with such things as reading or playing games possessed more cognitive capacity at death.

In addition, people in the study with more education also showed more cognitive capacity at death but it appears that overall mental activity was more important than education overall.

Everything points to staying active regardless of our age. Keep that child’s curiosity. Ask questions and then get on the computer and find the answers. Look at new ideas and intellectual challenges that are outside your normal patterns of thought.

By staying engaged mentally, we sustain our mental capacity and extend the quality and enjoyment of our lives!

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About The Author

Janet Shapan, has been a publisher, writer and media designer in the special interest magazine and TV production business for over 25 years. A Boomer, her passion is identifying and sharing current innovations in health, wellness and other lifestyle categories of interest to Seniors. For more information on Senior Living, visit: http://For-Seniors.org or http://LivingSenior.org