Walking May Help Ease the Symptoms of Dementia

A few hours of walking each week may increase brain activity. A recent study shows there is help for people who are in the early stages of vascular dementia, according to The New York Times in "A 1-Hour Walk, 3 Times a Week, Has Benefits for Dementia." A six-month study found that vascular dementia patients who took one hour walks, three times a week had better brain activity than a control group that did not go on walks. Even relatively mild exercise was beneficial. This suggests that elderly dementia patients who go on walks, while in the early stages of the disease, could see the disease progress at a slower rate than they would if they did not go on walks. This study will need to be confirmed by further research and it does not offer a cure for vascular dementia. However, anything that helps slow the disease, by even a little bit, is of great benefit to patients. In case you were wondering, earlier research revealed that taking walks also helps people in the early stages of Alzheimer's. Reference: New York Times (May 24, 2017) "A 1-Hour Walk, 3 Times a Week, Has Benefits for Dementia."