In today's economy, many people are choosing not to retire for financial reasons but they in choosing this path, they may be doing something very special for themselves...

British scientists have found that keeping the brain active by working later in life reduces the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease at a younger age.

The Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College London, funded by the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, analyzed data from 1,320 people with dementia, looking at education, employment and retirement. The research, published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, found no link between education or employment and dementia risk, but found those who retire later prolong their mental abilities above the threshold for dementia.
 
Professor Simon Lovestone, Scientific Adviser to the Alzheimer’s Research Trust and the paper’s co-author, said: ‘The intellectual stimulation that older people gain from the workplace may prevent a decline in mental abilities, thus keeping people above the threshold for dementia for longer. Much more research is needed if we are to understand how to effectively delay, or even prevent, dementia.’
 
Rebecca Wood, Chief Executive of the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, which funded the study, said: 'More people than ever retire later in life to avert financial hardship, but there may be a silver lining: lower dementia risk. Much more research into lifestyle factors is needed if we are to whittle down the healthcare costs."  That cost is estimated to be over over worldwide $315 billion that dementia costs according to scientists at a the Conference of Alzheimer's Disease International last spring, based on a worldwide prevalence estimate of 29.4 million people with dementia.

The Alzheimer’s Research Trust
The Alzheimer’s Research Trust is the UK’s leading research charity for dementia. They are dedicated to funding scientific studies to find ways to treat, cure or prevent Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, Lewy Body disease and fronto-temporal dementia. http://www.alzheimers-research.org.uk/aboutus/


King's College London
King's College London is one of the top 25 universities in the world (Times Higher Education 2008) and the fourth oldest in England. A research-led university based in the heart of London, King's has more than 21,000 students from nearly 140 countries, and more than 5,700 employees. King's is in the second phase of a £1 billion redevelopment programme which is transforming its estate. King's has an outstanding reputation for providing world-class teaching and cutting-edge research. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise for British universities, 23 departments were ranked in the top quartile of British universities; over half of our academic staff work in departments that are in the top 10 per cent in the UK in their field and can thus be classed as world leading.