OverSixty July 2023 Digital

ISSUE 5 | JULY 2023 | OVERSIXTY.COM.AU 6 NEWS ZOË MEUNIER NEWS T he recent ABC TV show Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds (and its fol- low up Old People’s Home for Teenagers ) demonstrated the value and enrichment in connecting aged care residents with younger generations. It’s something sta! and residents of Alexander Aged Care Nursing Home in Brookvale know only too well. Since late last year, a group of residents and their carers have made a fortnightly visit to Explore & Develop Child Care Centre in Brookvale for an in- tergenerational play session – and it has been a hit from day one. “"e joy and positivity that has come from this collaboration has been im- mense,” says Lorena Monforte, aged care worker at Alexander, who along with her friend Charlene Fredman, owner and operator of Explore & Develop, came up with the idea for the program. “Not only do our residents gain immense pleasure from spending time with the children but seeing the little ones completely in awe of having a group of seniors watching them play, wanting to physically help themand interact by asking questions, has brought our carers and childcare sta! to tears.” “It’s that connection to community,” explains Fredman, adding that many of the children don’t have grandparents Intergenerational play fostering connection Regular internet usage is one of the lifestyle habits that may assist older people to stave o! the onset of dementia Cartoon (below): Susan Camilleri Konar Jilly (top left) and other residents (above) from the Alexander Aged Care Nursing Home, share special moments with their young friends Photos: Zoë Meunier NEWS NEWS alive or living nearby. “People think of community in terms of Clean-up Austral- ia Day or a gardening bee, but this is com- munity connection at its #nest.” On the day Over 60 joined the residents on one of their one-and-a-half hour visits, the centre is in a state of organised cha- os. "e residents are dispersed through- out three rooms – one for 0-2 year olds, one for 2-3 year olds and another for 3-6 year olds, as well as an outdoor play area. Some are feedling toddlers, while others are making play dough shapes, engaging in puzzles, or role playing with their tiny new friends, who are loving the attention. “My favourite thing is playing dollies with them,” enthuses Kai, three. “It takes you back,” laughs resident Bet- ty Coward, 82, who is enjoying a tea party with two girls in the 3-6 year olds room. Outside, Allan Burridge, 91, is helping some boys shovel sand in the sandpit. Judith Smith, 77, whose face turns from passive to enlivened as she interacts with an animated toddler, says her favourite part about the play sessions is the fact that the children “are so honest”. Jilly Garel, 91, agrees. “"ey are so un- assuming, they say the #rst thing that comes into their mind,” she laughs. While Jilly has great-grandchildren of her own, they live in Cairns, so she doesn’t get to spend physical time with them often. “When they do come down they think I’m something out of the ark,” she laughs. Jilly loves reading and cuddling with the babies in the centre and shares an ob- vious connection with the older children. Despite this, there can be some anxiety and trepidation for Jilly and some of the other residents prior to the visit. Likewise, while some of the children gravitate to the seniors immediately, oth- ers can be more reticent to get involved. “"ey take their time to warm up, which is good,” Monforte says. She admits the logistics of getting her residents to and from the child care cen- tre can be challenging, but says it’s more thanworth the e!ort to see the animation and interaction on the faces of both the seniors and their young counterparts. "e arrival of a gelato truck to the cen- tre brings a whole new level of mayhem, and it’s hard to know whether the kids or the aged care residents make the big- gest mess with their ice-cream, but what is more than evident is the unadultered shared enjoyment experienced by all. ZOË MEUNIER NEWS From page 1 To assess the a!ect of regular internet use on the risk of dementia, researchers followed 18,154 dementia-free adults between the age of 50 and 65, for the duration of the trial for a median of 7.9 years and a maximum of 17.1 years; of these, 4.68% had dementia identi#ed during follow-up. Overall, about 65% of participants con- sidered themselves regular internet us- ers at baseline, and most of these adults continued to report regular use of the internet during subsequent surveys. "e adults who used the internet regularly at baseline had a 43% reduced risk of de- mentia during the follow-up period. "e bene#ts seemed to be cumulative; that is, for every survey period in which a partic- ipant reported regular internet use, de- mentia risk dropped by about 20%. “Our #ndings showevidence of a digital divide in the cognitive health of older-age adults,” wrote study head Gawon Cho. What makes using the internet so good for brain health? According to one theory, the internet o!ers cognitive stimulation, which can aid in maintaining brain func- tion, o!ering resiliency against physio- logical damage to the brain. Engaging in tasks that involve mental e!ort, like in- formation searches, reading news articles and playing mind games can assist the brain to stay active and engaged. Mean- while, the fostering of social connections, which the internet helps to provide, is another risk reduction strategy, as social isolation has been associated with an in- creased risk of the disease. Of course, using the internet is not a guarantee this disease will not develop. Internet use could lower dementia risk Additional research is also required to ex- plore the long-term cognitive bene#ts of internet usage. “Since a person’s online engagement may include a wide range of activities, future research may identify di!erent patterns of internet usage associated with the cognitively healthy lifespan while be- ing mindful of the potential side e!ects of excessive usage,” study authors said. Nonetheless, the results of this study provide encouragement that straight- forward lifestyle modi#cations, like en- couraging older people to utilise the in- ternet, may improve brain function and lower incidence of dementia. Signs of dementia Common symptoms of dementia to look out for include: • Memory loss: forgetting recent OHDUQLQJV RU VLJQLȴFDQW RFFXUUHQFHV • /DQJXDJH GLɝFXOWLHV having trouble comprehending what others DUH VD\LQJ RU ȴQGLQJ WKH FRUUHFW phrases to use • Disorientation: becoming lost in familiar areas or forgetting where things are kept • Poor judgement: this encompasses things such as poor decision-making or failure to recognise danger • Mood swings: easily becoming agitated or melancholy