I read the article on the home page with great interest because my husband spoke fluent french in addition to English, He did not grow up speaking french but learned it in high school/college and then spoke it daily when he lived in/went to school in Switzerland his jr year in college and then as an International Marketing Manager for a world reknown telecommunications firm. He was also a double major economics/math. None of that appears to have helped-he was dx'd in 2008 with FTD/AD.
We often read that speaking another language or learning one in later life will ward off Alzheimer's. The same goes for doing puzzles etc. I don't think there is any conclusive evidence to this as yet. I have been fluently bilingual since age 14 and studied 3 more languages becoming fairly fluent in another. What I'm finding now is that I'm gradually losing all but the language I have been speaking since age 14. My husband also became fluent in a second language as a teenager. He developed Alzheimer's. He gradually lost both languages and I have no idea what if anything he comprehends now in either language. There are so many unknowns regarding this terrible disease. All we can do is try to lead a healthy life with good nutrition and exercise and hope that there are no genetic factors that might pre-dispose us to this disease.
I joined these boards in June, 2008. Sometime later--maybe a year, we did a large thread on what our spouses did before Dementia. Even my spouse, disabled with Learning Disabilities and Mental Illness, before his Dx with VaD, could perform a wide diversity of skilled activities and had a very well developed ability to cope with his deficits, masking their severity. Other spouses were scientists, aeronautical engineers, lawyers, ebducators , etc. Dementia, regardless of formi is no respector of mental abilities nor deficits. All the puzzles, languge learning etc. will do, is maybe provide the brain with a little bit more coping ability to appear okay a little bit longer before being overcome. At this time, all the claims we see of foods, activities , medicines, herbs, vitamins, etc. asbeingcures orn preventatives,are hogwash. Some may help improve overall health, sharpen memtal skills---but they are not cures, and seeing these claims irritate me. They are no better than the old "snake oil" merchants. These claims raise false hopes,and in my book that is causing harm.
Carosi2* - I agree 110%. No one ever says, 'my mom was a couch potato, no wonder she got AD.' It's almost always someone smart, active, healthy. The number of actors w/AD amazes me because memory is their stock in trade, there are also lots of writers who use their brain all the time. For a list of prominent, well educated, active people w/AD, you can go to my website: caregiving4alz.com, scroll to 'You're in Good Company" and see all the actors, singers, writers. It doesn't hurt to do puzzles, learn new things, etc, but there was nothing about my DH--nothing--that would have indicated AD--nothing! I think it's a recessive gene floating around in our DNA and that's where I'd put my money and research. I was once in a support group of wives whose husbands had AD & we went around the room describing them before they got the disease. There was NO common denominator in life style, eating, work, education, hobbies, etc. Some were sweet as pie, others mean as junk yard dogs. Someday....
Yes, Carosi, we have had many discussions about what our spouses did before they were afflicted with AD, and you are so right. It makes my blood boil, and I have written blogs about it, when "experts" tell us what we can do to PREVENT Alzheimer's Disease. Their suggestions are excellent for improving overall quality of life. Who won't benefit from healthy eating, exercise, socializing, and keeping their brain active? But IT WON'T PREVENT AD. If you're "gonna get it, you're gonna get it". Period.
For those who have not read it, I suggest this blog from 2008. It's my humorous take on all of these studies. http://www.thealzheimerspouse.com/Doomed.htm
Agreed. My wife was quite fluent in French but got EOAD.
Humans want answers to things. I've lost three young, close friends so far and it's going to be five without that much delay. They all have different stories. NONE of them smoked and only one had a couple of drinks a day. Two were overweight, three were slim. One was the CEO of a multinational, one ran a store, one never worked, and two had good jobs but were family orientated.
I have decent experience with formal clinical trials. There were always people that developed serious and peculiar side effects with placebo.
You cannot predict from such numerology in my opinion even though the statistics are likely valid; but, you can literally talk yourself into a state. That has absolutely been proven to me. I see no choice but to try and deal with what life brings us and applied to specific people that is quite random. Applied to groups you get a percentage. That has no application to individuals.
Bama, I sure hope you LIKE blueberries. Would be a shame if you were only eating them for your brain. I have posted this before, I think a healthy lifestyle bought my husband 15-20 "good" years before the symptoms of EOAD became obvious. He had bad genes (his Dad started showing symptoms in his 40's), but Steve wasn't dx until 60. So, it may be a combo of Steve's genetic makeup and the fact that he exercised, had mentally challenging jobs, low stress level, good marriage and social relationships, ate healthily, etc. But did it prevent the illness, obviously, no.
I agree with everyone's comments especially Joan's -- "if you're gonna get it, you're gonna get it." My husband has been bilingual ever since he arrived in the U.S. 48 years ago from his native Austria. He was a very smart man, had no trouble learning English, became an architect and engineer, wrote detailed impeccable technical reports and still speaks both German and English. I think from what I have been told about his family history that several family members had either dementia or some type of mental illness. As I've often thought, life is a crapshoot and sometimes you just get crap!
My husband was fluent in French (reading writing and speaking) from six years in the French region of Switzerland, and also in Spanish (12 years in Mexico... reading legal documents, speaking Spanish and writing in Spanish). He was brilliant, valedictorian in both HS and his University graduating classes. He was an avid reader, and continued to enjoy speaking the language of his acquaintences after returning to the states, so he wouldn't lose his edge. And!, guess what, he developed Alzheimer's Disease. I've heard it said that many highly intelligent people are found in Alzheimer Care Facilities... One of his dearest friends, in a feeble attempt to find a bit of humor in our tragedy, .. said, "I know what happened, ... he used up all of his brain cells too early.... and that is why I am saving mine.. I don't do anything that might tax my braincells!"
Well my mom spoke German before she learned English in school and my DH spoke Spanish before he learned English in school...and both were blessed with brilliant minds and both were victims of ALZ..
You are right on, Elaine K. Dementia ran in my husband's family too. He was unfortunate to also fall prey to this disease while his brother who has abandoned us seems to have escaped it. Life is not fair. I had been thinking of taking classes again in one of the languages I'm forgetting but I might as well not bother Instead I have started knitting again. I wonder if that counts as an activity to stave off Alzheimer's?
Where does the medical community come up with these stats? Husband took advanced German several years before FTD DX for FTD. He spoke a second language very well. He daily worked the crossword puzzles...still does (easy version now however)---alot good this did. NOT. I am also of the geneic tendency that if you're going to get AD its in the genes. Same reasoning a blue eye bady won't have brown eyes by drinking chocolate drink. It aint gonna happen