We all hope to get older. Naturally, we all wish we could stay young forever, but there are only two alternatives – getting older or . . . not. We’ve heard it said that getting older is not for sissies. Even into our forties we begin to realize that no truer statement has ever been uttered.
However the advantages of getting on in years can play in our favor if – and that is a major “if” we have a healthy brain. Of course, there are other factors to growing old with grace, but if our minds are operating on all cylinders then we are able to make robust and effective choices as we go.
Protecting our brains has never been more at the forefront of society than it is today. We all know of someone who is suffering dementia or Alzheimer’s. Unfortunately, we haven’t developed an effective way to manage that and burn those troubles out of our lives completely. Just a few generations back, these cognitive disorders weren’t nearly as prevalent in society as they are now. Other internal plumbing seemed to give out before our brains let us down. Sure these conditions were still a part of life, but more infrequent than today’s commonplace.