According to USA Today, blogging can help prevent Alzheimer’s disease:

Research on animals and humans suggests mentally challenging activities such as playing bridge, learning a new language or even blogging might help build new connections in the brain, says Molly Wagster at the National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health.

This reminds me of what my grandparents always perceived as retirement syndrome. Their contemporaries would retire, find themselves at home without a job or many hobbies, and they would soon pass away.

My grandfather retired after a long career as a police officer, rising to become Deputy Police Chief, and then started a new career as Chief of Security at the local college. My grandmother became a regionally famous painter in both oil and china – leaving behind a beautiful collection when she passed in 1996.

They both stayed sharp until the day they died because they were engaged in being alive.

Blogging is a way to stay sharp and curious – to stay engaged in being alive. And might just be a good way to prevent Alzheimer’s.