As the population ages and dementia becomes a more frequent diagnosis, there\’s increasing impetus to determine the causes of the disease, associated risk factors and how to prevent it, explained study co-author Dr. Aron S. Buchman, an associate professor in the department of neurological sciences at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

\”There has been a lot of interest in psychosocial factors and their association with cognitive decline and dementia in later life,\” he said.

The study looked at the positive aspects of life and their possible effect on keeping dementia at bay, \”looking at happiness, purposefulness in life, well-being and whether those kind of concepts are associated with a decreased risk of dementia,\” Buchman explained.

For the study, published in the March issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, Buchman and his colleagues collected data on 951 older people without dementia who participated in the Rush Memory and Aging Project. The participants were asked to respond to statements such as: \”I feel good when I think of what I have done in the past and what I hope to do in the future,\” and \”I have a sense of direction and purpose in life.\”

After an average four years of follow-up, 16.3 percent of the people in the study developed Alzheimer\’s disease. Taking into account other factors that could account for Alzheimer\’s, the researchers found that people who responded most positively to statements about their lives were the least likely to develop the condition. Also, people who said they had more purposeful lives were less likely to develop mild cognitive impairment and had a slower rate of cognitive decline.

Many of you remember the NJOA \”R.O.O.R. Rally\” (Rescue Our Outdoor Rally) that helped to sweep