Be strong in age by a demanding job

Challenging tasks in the job promote the ability to work in old age
Anyone who is strongly challenged in the job is more efficient in old age. This is proven by a study by the University of Leipzig. While it has long been known that good education counteracts the development of dementia, the impact of occupational requirements has so far received little attention. According to the study, senior citizens whose past job responsibilities included data analysis, information assessment, or focus on details, for example, were less likely to lose their old-age skills than people with less demanding jobs.

Demanding occupation maintains efficiency in old age
More than 1,000 elderly people aged 75 years and over were regularly examined in the Leipzig Long-term Study on the Elderly Population ("Leila75 +") over a period of eight years. Their mental capacity was also tested. Among other things, the study participants had to answer questions about their professional lives and specific requirements that they had to fulfill.

As it turned out, those performing best in the proficiency tests that claimed to have been in high demand earlier in their career. It was also noticeable that their skills decreased less over time. Study participants with a demanding job such as production managers or restaurant owners deteriorated in performance only half as much as those who worked as turners or seamstresses. "Some specific occupational requirements seem to train the brain, which can sustain long-term performance in the long run," reports PD group leader. Tobias Luck.

"The study makes it clear that the nature of work tasks during our professional lives has a major impact on mental performance in old age, possibly even more of an impact than education," study author Dr. Francisca S. Then from the Institute of Social Medicine, Occupational Medicine and Public Health (ISAP) at the Faculty of Medicine. (Ag)

: Rainer Storm, Pixelio.de