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How having a mentally stimulating job in midlife may protect against dementia later on

  • Author’s mother wished she had been a teacher; science shows it might have helped protect her against the dementia that took her life

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Having a mentally stimulating job, such as being a teacher (above), in midlife may help build cognitive reserve which protects you against dementia as you age. Photo: Shutterstock
This is the 38th instalment in a series on dementia, including the research into its causes and treatment, advice for carers, and stories of hope.
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A regular refrain from my mother was, “I wish I’d become a teacher”.

She would have made a very good teacher: she taught us at home when we were little. She taught a French-speaking friend’s daughter to speak English. She taught me how to teach my children to read and write.

She had exactly the right approach: she was patient, curious, made learning fun, and was a voracious reader.

I wonder now if having an occupation might have protected her from depression – she often articulated the loss she felt when her children went away to school as a key reason for her low moods.
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I also wonder if having a job might have protected her from the dementia that took her life. The science says it might have done.
Dr Trine Holt Edwin, of Oslo University Hospital, in Norway. Photo: Anne Elisabeth Næss (Norwegian Health Association)
Dr Trine Holt Edwin, of Oslo University Hospital, in Norway. Photo: Anne Elisabeth Næss (Norwegian Health Association)
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