Mental health of seniors

This story was so touching that I thought that I should share it with all.So here it is.

When Terry learnt that her mother was trying to play scrabble against herself, she knew she had to do something.

She asked her   one day, ‘’who is playing with you?’’

‘’My right hand versus left ‘’, replied her mother. ‘’Well; your father doesn’t play and I want to keep my mind sharp’’, she replied.

Terry packed her old computer, complete with scrabble and word processing programmed and thus began her   mother’s adventure with the computer and also her   teaching assignment with her mother.

All her   life, mother was her teacher; to cook, sew, and knit; to laugh, to enjoy the good times and endure the bad. Now it was her turn to give something back.

Now she spoke of RAM, Rom, and the C.P.U and not of cooking. She had acquired a new mother tongue.

 

This story tells us that no matter how old you are, a willing spirit is capable of learning anything.

You don’t stop learning when you grow old. Learning keeps a person’s mind active and agile. According to brain experts, it helps maintain brain health by preventing loss of brain function and cognitive skill such as memory,  reasoning and judgment etc.

As people age, finding ways to maintain quality of life is becoming urgent. Age alters the structure of brain.  For some people,brain mass shrinks modestly around the age of 60 or 70 . The cortex also undergoes modest thinning and the brain’s white matter decreases. This may play a role in declining memory.

The good news is, the age related brain function loss can be moderated by environmental factor like intellectual stimulation, formal education, leisure activities and professional pursuit. This can stimulate the mind and keep it healthy. More knowledge builds more network of connection in the brain, says Dr.James McGaugh.

Engaging in active learning allows one to be actively involved in the community ,developing new interests and for keeping up with young generation .Old  People feel more healthy, happy, respected and more independent when they peruse active learning in the senior years.

‘’The best way to find yourself, is to lose yourself in the service of others’’, Mahatma Gandhi.

The other avenue for seniors is to do volunteer work. This work is enhanced by formal or informal learning experience. Seniors will have to sometime learn new interpersonal and professional skills as well as time management skill.

There is impediment to learning at advanced age. But by facing the challenge one will make a one’s brain sharp. Family members should help seniors overcome learning problems.

I am sure the Governments role in supporting senior’s education program, will go a long way in making seniors life better. In an76.6 million of plus sixty aging population, such a program is a must. It should be under ministry of health as such programs  help maintain seniors mental health.                                   .