Thursday, January 31, 2013
The first elder for whom I became a primary caregiver was my neighbor, Joe. He was born of Norwegian immigrant parents who spoke Norwegian at home. As a result, Joe needed to repeat first grade because he spent his first year in school learning English. While Joe went on to become a well educated eng...
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Carol,
I believe that learning many languages help one's brain. However, it is not the only factor. My late FIL actually knew many languages: Polish, German and English. He didn't use German in the States. He was very good at writing English. Yet he got Alzheimer's. I believe there are many factors and we don't really know the exact reason. Sure hope there will be cure for dementia soon.
Regards,
Nina
You're right, Nina,
Even when all of the "right" pieces are in place, people can develop dementia. Anything that may stave off dementia is wonderful, but finding a cure is vital.
It's possible that if your father-in-law hadn't been so educated he may have shown symptoms earlier. There have been several studies that seem to point that way. Education doesn't prevent AD, but it may stave off symptoms longer because of "brain reserve." Of course, that's very hard to prove.
Thanks, as always for your input.
Carol