Experiencing A Decline In Cognitive Functions? Study Calls Positive Thinking Of Old Age Can Help Restore Memory

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JAKARTA - As you get older apart from health, you will also slowly experience a decrease in memory or cognitive function. Unfortunately, this cannot be prevented. However, a new study says people who receive all the aging processes positively can recover from cognitive decline.

The cognitive decline in the elderly includes difficulties in thinking, memory, concentration, and other brain functions. Cognitive disorders can attack suddenly or gradually develop with age.

Launching Medical Daily, Wednesday, May 17, found that positive belief in old age can reduce stress. This is due to cognitive challenges and improving cognitive performance and confidence about it.

"Most people think it's difficult to recover from mild cognitive impairment, but in fact some people can recover from this condition. Little can be known why some people can recover while others don't. That's why experts see positive confidence in old age can help recover from cognitive impairment," saidUS Levy, lead author of the study conducted at the Yale School of Public Health, while explaining research goals.

The study evaluated 1,716 participants aged 65 years and over for mild cognitive impairment and positive age confidence. Participants were asked to answer statements such as "As old as I am, the more useless I feel," and asked to mark their level of approval for the statement.

The researchers found that elderly people who showed positive confidence in old age were 30 percent more likely to recover from cognitive impairment than those who had negative confidence in old age despite the severity of cognitive decline. Recovery time is also faster in people with positive confidence in old age.

Experts also found that participants who remained positive about aging were less likely to develop mild cognitive impairment for 12 years.

"Given that positive belief in old age can be strengthened, our findings suggest that age confidence interventions at individual and community levels can increase the number of people who have recovered cognitive declines," the researchers wrote.