Early retirement can accelerate cognitive decline among the elderly, according to research conducted by faculty at Binghamton University, State University of New York.
Plamen Nikolov, assistant professor of economics, and Alan Adelman, a doctoral student in economics, examined China's New Rural Pension Scheme (NRPS) and the Chinese Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey (CHARLS) to determine the effects of pension benefits on individual cognition of those ages 60 or above. CHARLS, a nationally representative survey of people ages 45 and above within the Chinese population, is a sister survey of the U.S. Health and Retirement Survey and directly tests cognition with a focus on episodic memory and components of intact mental status.
Surely it is what you do with your life in retiremrnt that makes the most difference . This can be affected by health problems of course and the money available to the retired person.
I agree with you jailbird. It depends what you do with your retirement. When I worked I had a very stimulating job and worked with a team of very interesting individuals, however I spent a lot of time sitting down in front of a computer screen in a not very healthy building. Since I retired I’ve been able to do so many more things including travelling, reading, joining a choir, swimming, spending time outside in the fresh air, seeing more of my friends and family. I’m a bit more restricted now because I look after my husband but I still manage to find fulfilling things to do.
I’ve read that one of the best ways to avoid cognitive decline is to learn a completely new skill.
My latest new skill is learning to regain my mobility after my knee replacement surgery!
Hi Corin, I notice in your post you mention a knee replacement You are having. As I have, among other problems arthritical knees I would appreciate any information you can give me. How long have you had problems before being able to have a replacement?
I’ve had knee problems for several years. Had to give up playing badminton about 8 years ago. Managed to keep them going with exercise classes and swimming then 2 years ago pulled something and could hardly walk . Started going to physio which helped. Continued swimming but gave up everything else . Eventually the physio referred me to an orthopaedic surgeon . Saw him in July and expected to be told that my knee wasn’t bad enough but instead was told the joint was completely worn out and that it needed replacing. Was surprised to get a date at end of August then it was delayed til October . So I’m 3 weeks on and still in a lot of pain although I can walk about quite well and go up and down stairs. I can’t drive for 6 weeks so I’m reliant on others but otherwise I’m managing. Hope it will be worth it in the long run. I know others who’ve had it done and they’re back cycling and going on long walks again. So I’m very hopeful.
Hi Corin, Thanks for your post. I used to play county badminton at one time and missed playing so much. It was exercise and fun to do and a lovely social group of people. I thought I would play for ever at the time. Anyway, after reading your post I realize that my knees are certainly not as bad as yours are. So knee replacement would be out of the question for now. However, the burning pain is still a reality. What have you done up until now to ease the pain? I have been given a rub-on ointment to use and take a cocodamol pill when needed. Basically, how have you managed the pain up until now?
A knee replacement is tougher than hip I'm told. Did you do exercises before the op as well as after.? I have a three month wait before hip assessment and already i cannot walk up a slope, and stairs are a weight on the good leg only, peg leg ! , cant do the other one but no guidance from physio which i would have thought helped . My stepson was told that his strong muscles helped the surgeon . My lack of exercise is not doing my breathing any good either. I think more exe rcise would improve my
mental attitude too .
So what are you going to learn when you are mobile again.? Its tough when you cannot walk f freely. I do miss my birdwatching most. .
Good luck with your getting mobile again. Then what next? There is always something
I’ve been told it’s easier and quicker to recover from hip surgery than knee. I did exercise before the op but I’m quite active simply because I live in a house with lots of stairs and I go and down them at least 10 times a day. I’ve been a member of a gym for years and have gone to classes and swum regularly and I intend to start again in January if I’m fully recovered by then.
I’m sorry you miss your birdwatching. Can you not encourage to come to your house with a bird table ?
Must agree with the comments, its all down to what you do in retirement, if you sit about all day doing nothing but watch tv then yes you will lose your marbles. I had a very stressful job in finance and worked silly hours, the workload was enormous along with having desk exams to keep up with the legal aspects put even more stress on the job. I was so glad to get out of it, I wont every regret retiring. I think Corin is right to say learn something new, especially if you have mobility problems. I am thinking of learning Spanish so that when recovering from the shoulder op I wont be tempted to tv watch all day as my usual things like drawing etc will be out as its my right shoulder and I think reading/crosswords/suduko also keep the grey matter flowing.
Totally agree it’s important to do something I’m 73 do a light job just don’t do as mutch it make me get up a move wen my body is saying stay in bed my health would deteriorate if I gave in
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