As the population ages, dementia has become an increasing problem. Worldwide, some 55 million people are living with dementia; in the U.S. about 7 million people suffer some form of dementia. The condition not only affects the sufferers but lowers the quality of life of their caregivers, who are usually family, and costs the healthcare system an enormous sum.

            To date, treatment has not proven to be the answer. Neither the older drugs nor the very expensive and dangerous new drugs do more than delay the decline by a few months.

            For dementia, as for many health conditions, prevention is much better than treatment.

            Good general health habits: regular exercise, not smoking, and treating high blood pressure are known to lower dementia risk. What about training the brain?

            We strengthen our muscles by lifting weights and improve our heart and lung capacity by aerobic exercise, so it makes intuitive sense that exercising our brain should ward off dementia. There are many online sites and apps that promise to do just that. Do they work?

            We have known for a long time that those with higher education levels have less cases of dementia and get it later, but this may be an artifact: those with better brain capacity may gravitate to fields requiring more education. What about mentally challenging activities such as word games, crossword puzzles, Sudoku, chess, and bridge?

            A survey of many studies in different groups of people living in different parts of the world suggests that these activities do indeed lower the risk of dementia and delay its onset. Many activities were studied, both those listed above as well as reading and taking adult education classes.

            The effect was not dramatic, but the risk of developing dementia was reduced by anywhere from 10% to 30% depending on the study, and those who did develop dementia did so about 2-3 years later than average. These numbers compare very favorably with existing treatments and have no side effects!

            None of the commercial “brain boosters” as yet have any similar data available.

            So, take out your pencils and get puzzling. Play mahjong or bridge. Read a challenging book. Not only will you get the social benefits, but you will stay sharp longer.

            By the way, another intervention has pretty good data behind it: getting the shingles vaccine seems to also be associated with reduced risk of dementia. As if avoiding that nasty disease was not motivation enough!

            Edward Hoffer MD is Associate Professor of Medicine, part-time, at Harvard.

What Does The Doctor Say?

By Dr. Edward Hoffer

I’m a tool guy. Ever since I entered Lou Corey’s Manual Training class at Center School, I’ve been a tool guy. I knew what a spoke shave was early on. I know the difference between a block plane, a smooth plane, and a jack plane. Cross cut and rip saws are my thing.

            That Manual Training class taught young boys everything they needed to know to get along in the real world: decision making, critical thinking, discipline, you name it…and all about tools. Knowing how to use tools has saved me tons of money over the years by fixing and building things myself. The furniture in my house, shingling it, roofing it, installing new windows, and building bookcases. I did it all myself with my tools.

            My folks gave me a toy tool set when I was little, but my first real tool was a hammer. It belonged to my father who “loaned” his 16-ounce wood handled claw hammer to me when I went to work for a carpenter while in high school. The carpenter, as they say, “had his own way.” “Get rid of that toy” he ordered the first day on the job. (Sorry dad). He instructed me to get a heavy 20-ounce tool and let the hammer “do the work, not your arm.” Good advice.

            I marched down to the old Big3 Hardware store across from the post office and bought a steel beauty which had a rubber grip with “The Rocket” emblazoned on it. To this day, I still use it if I have the occasion to pound in a nail. I still have dad’s “toy” too.

            I have many more hammers now: including two ball peen hammers, a tack hammer, two sledgehammers, a club hammer, a brick hammer, and a mallet. Unfortunately, I don’t use my hammers much anymore. When I build something, I use a nail gun. My four are becoming obsolete, they need a compressor. New ones use batteries. It’s hard to keep up.

            For that matter, nails aren’t used all that much anymore. Screws seem to have taken over the fastening chore. Anyone need any nails? I have shelves full of coffee cans filled with every size imaginable, and screws too.

            Hammers don’t hold a candle to the number of screw drivers I have accumulated over the years. I haven’t counted (that would be too much like work) but I have way too many. The most common ones are slotted and Philips head but according to Bob Vila, the fix-her-up guru of TV fame, there are over 40 different kinds, and each comes in multiple sizes. I’d bet I have at least one or two of each. How come I never have the right one when I need one?

            As far as saws go, I have crosscut, rip, tenon, coping, hack, jig (hand and power), circular, table, reciprocating (wired and battery), pruning, keyhole, compass, drywall, hole saws…whew…and two chain saws. I have more clamps that I’ll ever need, but then again, any wood worker will tell you, one never has enough clamps.

            I have many drills too…two kinds of hand crank drills, three or four power drills (wired and battery operated), one impact driver, and a right-angle drill. Drills don’t work without drill bits, the twisty things that actually make holes, (I don’t mean to insult your intelligence, but I like to be precise. Precision is the mark of a true craftsman. But I digress.) I must have thousands of used drill bits. Most are dull but I just can’t bring myself to throw them out.

            There used to be a saying “It’s hip to be square.” Do I have squares. I have two framing squares, also called steel squares, though one is aluminum. I have three adjustable combination squares, two big ones and one little. I have an engineer’s square, a try square, a drywall square, T-square, …phew…and two speed squares. Boy, am I hip!

            People take tools very seriously. Consider that the first tools were just stones. Now there are academic studies of the relationship between tools and human development, even showing changes in the shape of the human hand.

            Hammer that home.

            Mattapoisett resident Dick Morgado is an artist and happily retired writer. His newspaper columns appeared for many years in daily newspapers around Boston.

Thoughts on…

By Dick Morgado

This last Saturday, November 9, those in Marion may have seen a load of speedsters flying down Holmes Street. Those weren’t just any racers but were in fact, Marion Scout Pack 32 and the Rochester Cub Scouts hosting their annual soap box derby. For nearly forty years, the scouts have shown their abilities as both mechanics and racers. “This has been an annual event for the Scouts in which they build, maintain, paint, and run the carts with the assistance of the adults” organizer Matt Hilton said.

            There were 16 total racers zooming down the hill. Some were cautious for their own safety, some seemingly less so. There was no shortage of smiles though, regardless of mid-race collisions and inadvertent off-road excursions. While carts raced down the hill in groups of two, food and drinks were sold near the finish line.

            In the end, the winners were Jonas Dugan in 3rd, Jonathan Hilton in 2nd, and Ben Reece in 1st! Matt Hilton and the Scouts express their thanks to the residents of Holmes Street and the local businesses that lent a hand. Nice job racers! Until next year.

By Sam Bishop