Key 5: Stay Sharp
5. Stay Sharp
Another key to reducing the risk of dementia is staying sharp or keeping your mind active. While it is important to learn new skills and keep your mind sharp throughout your whole life, it can become especially important in later years. A study done by Mayo Clinic found that those who use their minds in leisurely activities/hobbies such as chatting with friends or doing the crossword in both middle and later life had a 30% lower risk of dementia. In addition, those who continued to do activities such as crafting just in their later years had a risk of dementia 42% lower than those who did not.