Social Activity and Motor Skills - alt.support.arthritis

Message from discussion Social Activity and Motor Skills

Jofirey

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More options Jul 2, 2:11 am

Newsgroups: alt.support.arthritis

From: "Jofirey" <jofi...@sbcglobal.net>

Date: Wed, 1 Jul 2009 09:11:28 -0700

Local: Thurs, Jul 2 2009 2:11 am

Subject: Re: Social Activity and Motor Skills

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I always have a problem with studies like these. I kind of figure
that those who are able to stay socially active are also in better
shape to start with, if only mentally. Kind of a chicken and egg
thing, where they start to give the chicken extra credit for being a
chicken, and make the egg feel even worse because it hasn't hatched
yet.

I've always felt that way, but it was really brought home with my
mother. She was physically active. Climbed trees with her
grandkids (which did arrive pretty early in her life). She could
walk the legs off anyone she knew, and she did. She was also
mentally active.

Didn't help. She walked for miles every day until her Alzheimer's
made it unsafe to allow her out. She was socially active as long as
she could almost follow a conversation. Like I say, didn't help.

"Nann Bell" <hanbellGOGAT...@earthlink.net> wrote in message

news:0001HW.C670E997001DB25DF0284550@news.east.earthlink.net...

> From the NYTimes and probably not a surprise to any of us. I know
> staying
> socially active has me doing things I might shy away from, fearing
> pain,
> otherwise and that helps me keep the ability to do those things.

> Aging: Remaining Socially Active Aids Motor Skills
> By ERIC NAGOURNEY

> It is well known that older adults who remain socially engaged are
> more
> likely to keep their intellectual skills sharper. But new research
> suggests
> they may also be less likely to experience declines in motor
> skills like
> strength, speed and dexterity.

> Researchers who followed the health of about 900 people in
> retirement homes
> and elsewhere found that those who had the most social activity
> experienced
> the least decline in their motor skills. The report appears in The
> Archives
> of Internal Medicine.

> The researchers, led by Dr. Aron S. Buchman of the Rush University
> Medical
> Center, examined each volunteer over a period of about five years.

> They gave them a series of tests to assess their motor skills,
> looking at the
> strength in their arms and legs and at their ability to walk and
> perform
> other tasks. The volunteers were also asked to give information
> about their
> social activities.

> ---
> Nann
> remove the Gator cheer to email me
> Change everything. Love & forgive.

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