Where you live affects your dementia risk
Research shows that seniors in neighbourhoods with lots of green space and low crime rates perform better in memory tests.
Benefits of physical and mental exercise
People who are physically and mentally active throughout their lives, particularly from age 65 on, are less likely to develop dementia.
Exercise helps keep your brain healthy and improves your memory by:
Supporting blood flow and oxygen supply to your brain
Stimulating the growth of new brain cells
Protecting brain functioning in later life
Helping reduce your risk of falls
Keeping you social and engaged with other people.
To find out what exercises you can do, click here.
Mental exercise is also important. Find out more here.
Could where you live affect your chances of getting dementia?
Of course, it is lovely to live in a neighbourhood with lots of greenery and where crime is less of a problem.
A new study suggests that being in these locations, often the preserve of the privileged, can reduce the risk of dementia.
Monash University-led researchers have found a doubling of distance to green space, such as a park or bushland, is equal to being about 2.5 years older in terms of dementia risk factors.
Each two-fold increase in crime was approximately equal to a reduction in memory score attributable to a three-year increase in age.
So, the further away from greenery and the higher the crime rate, the more the likelihood of dementia. Not surprisingly, this relationship was particularly evident in those living in areas of lower socioeconomic status (SES), where there is less green space and crime is more common.
The green space aspect included people across Australia, while the crime aspect only looked at Victoria, where that data was readily available to the researchers.
Earlier research that already showed dementia disproportionately affects the disadvantaged, spurred the researchers on to explore the specific neighbourhood characteristics associated with dementia risk and cognition.
People who live closer to green spaces are more likely to exercise and exercise more often, and to meet other people. Environmental stresses such as pollution and noise are also less likely.
The good news is that the size of the greenspace is not a major factor. What’s important is locality and access.
So, having lots of little parks that are closer to more people might potentially be better than having one big park that is further away, the researchers concluded.
The research concluded that people living in high crime areas might exercise, go out, and socialise in public places less often. More crime could also make it difficult for people to sleep and lead to unhealthy coping behaviours such as smoking and drinking.
The study’s senior author, Associate Professor Matthew Pase, said even a perception of crime can cause psychological stress, which has been linked to dementia risk.
“Another possibility is that those who are more educated, which protects against dementia, are able to live in areas with low crime rates, although we adjusted for these factors in our analyses,” he said.
The researchers calculated the percentage of greenspace in each postcode and the average distance to the nearest one for people living there.
On average, people lived about 260 metres from the closest greenspace. Crime data came from the Crime Statistics Agency based on data provided by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
The researchers concluded that governments at all levels have a role to play in making neighbourhoods more healthy.
Collaboration between health and non-health sectors, such as environment, infrastructure, and housing, is required to scale equitable and sustainable health promotion and dementia prevention.
Governments should improve access to parkland and safety at a local level and encourage healthier lifestyles that may reduce dementia risk factors.
“Wherever people live, healthy behaviours like managing blood pressure, maintaining a healthy weight, correcting any hearing impairment, avoiding smoking, regular physical activity, nurturing mental health, avoiding or treating diabetes, sleeping well, and social activity may all help,” Dr Pase said.
There’s a role for individuals, families, health professionals, and communities, too – by exercising in groups to help overcome safety concerns.
Related reading: Monash, Dementia Australia
