At 103, Edith Smith can vividly recall how she met her closest, longtime friends. Some worked alongside her at her first job at the YWCA in Chicago in the late 1930s. Others were elementary school classmates in Grinell, Iowa, with whom she trudged through the snow after school, stopping for hot tea on the way home.
“We help each other. We talk to each other. We give advice to each other,” said Smith, who lives at Bethany Retirement Community in Ravenswood and said she still calls one of those friends every day.
Such strong friendships may contribute to higher cognitive functioning and sharper memory in adults as they age, according to a new study by researchers at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. The latest findings are part of Northwestern’s study of so-called SuperAgers — adults 80 or older with the cognitive abilities of those in their 50s or 60s.
“We’re building on this idea of trying to understand what has allowed these SuperAgers to thrive,” said Emily Rogalski, associate professor and senior author of the study, which looked at social aspects of the high-functioning group.
Rogalski said the latest study, published last month in the journal PLOS ONE, was the first to go beyond biological factors of SuperAgers and is significant because it offers a “tangible” way to try to reduce the risk of dementia or Alzheimer’s. Previous studies focused more on the biological traits of SuperAgers, including finding that those in the group have a larger cortex in their brain than their peers.
“This is something you can change,” Rogalski said of the latest, social findings. “You can try to have stronger relationships with others.”
For the study, researchers issued the Ryff Psychological Well-Being Scale questionnaire to SuperAgers, as well as a group of their peers who were also healthy but had average cognitive abilities. The questionnaire measures various forms of well-being, including positive relations. In their answers on that topic, SuperAgers scored higher than their average-minded peers, leading researchers to conclude they have stronger social ties.
Rogalski said it’s possible that having an active social life can stimulate the brain and keep it exercised and challenged through conversation. Having a social outlet also tends to keep people moving and out of the house, she said. Those attributes are seen as ways to prevent memory problems in old age.
Smith said she has always made friendships a priority in her life and enjoys being social. She participates in group classes at her retirement home, and shares baked goods and homemade jelly with her neighbors.
“I’m just a person who likes people,” she said. “When you like people, you communicate.”
It’s hard to say how society’s reliance on technology and social media to communicate and form relationships could affect meaningful social connections in the future.
While it’s clear that social media has widened people’s circle of acquaintances and the ability to maintain friendships, it remains to be seen if those relationships have the same quality as more traditional friendships, said Steve Jones, communications professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. It also depends on the person.
“Some people may simply feel more comfortable with relationships in person,” Jones said. “Some may prefer ones online.”
Terran Salbego, Midwest regional director of operations for Autumn Leaves, an assisted living community for those with dementia or Alzheimer’s, said he has heard from families of residents that socialization improves their situation.
Salbego said the loved ones of many Autumn Leaves residents notice an immediate improvement, simply from the more social living arrangement.
“They’re seeing them more optimally conditioned, more socialized,” said Salbego, who said the results of the study seem logical. “Socialization is a huge aspect in overall well-being.”
kthayer@chicagotribune.com
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