It’s healthy to go to bingo

Humans are social creatures. Many of us like to be social, have fun with friends and family and do something together.

It may be e.g. to go out to eat, join a knitting club, attend evening school, or join various clubs.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), being social has countless health benefits.

One thing now is less stress and anxiety, better sleep and fewer problems for heart patients and stroke.

Thanks to a new study published in the American journal Alzheimer & Dementia, social interaction can help delay dementia by about five years.

-This study is a follow-up to previous articles from our group.

-It shows that social activity is associated with less cognitive decline in older people, says Bryan James, PhD, associate professor of internal medicine in a press release.

The study examined 1,923 older people without dementia, they had an average age of 80 years.

During the study period, 545 participants developed dementia, while 695 developed other mild cognitive impairments.

Researchers used a questionnaire to measure the social functioning of the participant. The questions included: how often have you, in recent years, participated in certain social activities?

It can e.g. be playing Bingo, solving crosswords, going on excursions, visiting friends and family, going to sporting events and visiting restaurants.

At the beginning of the study, none of the participants showed signs of cognitive decline, e.g. Alzheimer’s.

But five years later, the results showed that the participants who were more socially active had a lower incidence of dementia.

The study suggests that an increase in social activity can reduce the risk of dementia by 38 percent.

It can also reduce the risk of other mild cognitive impairments, by about 21 percent. This is compared to those who participate in fewer social activities.

A five-year delay in dementia development could potentially reduce the financial cost of dementia care by 40 percent. At the same time, they can have three years added to their life expectancy.

This is of course depending on the American way.

There is still a lack of such a study in Faroe Islands, but that does not change the fact that it is certainly healthy to be social.