Board Games Can Keep Cognitive Degradation At Bay – A Study

We all know that board games are a fun way to be engaged in play in doors particularly for kids. But, here’s some news. A new study carried out by the Researchers at Edinburgh university of United Kingdom reveals that board games could actually help Older Adults avert off their cognitive decline. The paper was authored by Drew Altschul of School of philosophy, Pscychology and Language sciences in association with Professor Deary, director of Edinburgh Lothian Birth Cohorts and published in the Journals of Gerontology.

FBHDTJ Still-life selection of board games (Monopoly, Chess, Cluedo, Scrabble) with playing cards and gambling chips

The study was carried out on 1091 subjects born in the year 1936 for assessment of their mental and cognitive capabilities. The researchers did the evaluation for cognitive functioning across ages 11, 70, 73, 79 with the help of 14 different standard cognitive tests.

The study included asking questions to participants in the age group of 70 and 76 about how many times across the week they indulged in board games like bingo, chess, crosswords, cards, bingo and more . The researchers also took into account confounding factors like education, early life cognitive function, activity levels, sex and health issues to name a few, as a part of their analysis.

The results unleashed that the people who were more into board games in their later year’s post 70’s were better off maintaining their cognitive functioning. Particularly those older adults who indulged in analog games post 70’s showed relative less decline in cognitive abilities across 11 and 70 years and also between the age of 70 and 79.

Altschul, one of the study leads says “ these latest findings add to evidence that being more engaged in activities during the life course might be associated with better thinking skills in later life”.

While coauthor thinks that there is a possibility that there is an interpretation of results as push to start playing board games and avoid cognitive decline.

*Sourced from Internet

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November 21, 2019November 21, 2019

Exercise Your Way To Reduce Depression

A First of its kind study has revealed that physical activity can aid in reducing depression even if there is a higher genetic risk. The study was carried out by author Karmel Choi, Ph.D and her colleagues at the Massachusetts General Hospital of Boston. They used the electronic and genomic data records of 8000 participants in Partners biobank for the study. The study was spread across 2 years wherein the lead author Choi and his team studied through millions of data points in order to look into people having any depression related diagnosis.

They also calculated the genetic risk score for every participant by combining information around every participant complete genome to come to score that determines their genetic risk for developing depression. The data also revealed that people with high genetic risk score could be diagnosed about it anytime in the coming 2 years. But, those who were active physically even with higher genetic risk of depression were less likely to experience depression.

As per Choi an average 35 minutes of exercise on a daily basis could help you reduce the risk of depression and even protect you against depression bouts in future. The findings of the study Choi said that “our findings strongly suggest that, when it comes to depression, genes are not destiny and that being physically active has the potential to neutralize the added risk of future episodes in individuals who are genetically vulnerable”.

Well, exercise is always a good idea because it is useful and sparing out 30 to 35 minutes for yourself every day is the least you could do for your own wellness. A fit body definitely helps to keep you mind fit. So, invest in exercising atleast half and hour a day and you’ll see the difference in your overall fitness levels soon.

“The department of physiotherapy was established in 2003 at RajaRajeswari Medical College and Hospital to cater to the preventive, creative, therapeutic and rehabilitation needs of the rural people need was felt to impart the much needed physiotherapy vocational and rehabilitation training programme. “

September 19, 2017

Medicine As a Career in India

Indian parents have been long obsessed with this career stream and yes no marks for guess that right… its medical offcourse. Though, times are changing, but the attraction for medicine hasn’t faded as yet with parents only because of the surefire career that it is. But, over the years there are a lot of choices that are available around the medicine field apart from MBBS. So, students who aren’t able to crack the NEET can try to opt for some related courses that include BDS, Physiotherapy, Phsychiatry, Pharmacy and more. So, as per your area of interest you may choose a course. One major advantage of NEET being brought into effect is that intelligent students coming from lower income groups can try to get entry into medical without paying hefty donations to colleges.

In case you opt for MBBS, a masters is always a good idea considering future growth. You could either opt for a MD or MS. Though being a surgeon isnt a cake walk and invovles daily encounters with patients fighting for their lives. Its a great responshibility to shoulder and a time costing too.

As a surgeon or a masters degree holder you need to be available to your patients anytime. It could be in the wee hours of the night as well. So, its quite a stressful and hectic work schedule that you’ll have to manage. But, the perks include immense work satisfaction with successful medical procedures and blessing from families. If surgery is not your cup of tea then you might as well opt for MD in areas like radiology, anaesthesiology, paediatrics, forensic medicine and more.

Well, if not MBBS than the option of Physiotherapy, BDS, Ayurvedic medicine, Homeopathy, Veterinary and Pharmacy are definitely some of the good choices around medicine. A masters degree with these streams can offer rewarding career prospects.

Coming down to the bottom line, medical education does blow a hole into your pocket and for students coming from middle income and lower income groups, its not an easy way ahead. But, with the help of student loans, you may as well manage to realize your medical education dreams. Though, it is important to have indepth information on the student loan interest, payback procedure and time for repayment in detail, needs to be known particularly when you are planning to pursue higher education abroad.

Medical is undoubtedly a lucrative career but having said that it does come with its own cons which need to be considered before taking a plunge into it.

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August 18, 2017

The Rising Demand for Occupational Therapists in India

Over the years Occupational therapy has garnered a lot of eye balls and youth seem to be interested in this career that not just pays but gives immense work satisfaction as well. The work of an occupational therapist involves around helping physically and mentally challenged people to manage themselves independently. This includes performing daily chores, play, work and more.

For becoming an Occupational therapist you need to opt for Bachelors in Occupational Therapy degree course after 12th Science. It is a four year course and is offered by numerous medical colleges across India. Some of them offer direct admissions on the basis of percentage while for some you need to crack the entrance.

The syllabus includes a foundation course in research methodology besides an amalgamation of subjects from psychology, orthopaedics, psychiatry, pharmacology, anatomy, physiology, surgery combined with ergonomics and occupational therapy. After completion of the four years course you need to undergo a six months full time clinically oriented training internship program. After which you can start working as a professional or carry on with your PG diploma, masters and doctorate.

One major reason behind the rising demand also lies in the fact that in India only 20 institutions offering 9 graduate programs for occupational therapy. This number seems to be a meager one as compared to the leap frogging number of patients suffering from physical and mental disabilities. Hence, as far as the job opportunities are concerned, there is undoubtedly immense scope in both private and public sectors. You may either work with hospitals, schools, public healthcare institutions or carry out private practice in a clinic or alongside other specialists.

Well, occupational therapy is no child’s play but beyond a profession that offers a lucrative career, it is more about community service. Occupational therapists train families and care takers to deal with patients having disabilities in a positive way, thus helping them become independent, productive and lead a normal life.

Other post – Career in Physiotherapy in India

March 8, 2017

Career in Physiotherapy in India – Promising or not?

With pollution clogging up the air and chemicals degrading the quality of vegetables and greens, increased stress levels due to constant workloads, early age strokes, accidents while commuting, lifestyle diseases like obesity and more are taking a toll on people. Rehabilitation is slowly and steadily gaining importance in the healthcare sector. These days most of the multi-specialty hospitals have a rehabilitation centre with qualified Physiotherapists for treatment and therapy.

Experts are already forecasting the immense possibilities for expansion and growth of Physiotherapy. The career is definitely a promising one, considering the fact that even people have realized the potential of physiotherapy in significantly improving quality of life by working on body mobilization.

But, before you decide to take your plunge into this field which for sure offers total work satisfaction and is miles away from being monotonous in nature, you need to sit down and think about flip-side of the coin. You need to be aware that this career involves working with people of all ages and mental as well as physical disabilities or challenges. From kids to elderly, mentally challenged to accident victims, general populace to criminals, anyone for that matter could be your patient. Dealing with all kinds of people also means dealing with their tempers. So, primarily you need to have loads of patience and ability to keep calm during stressed times. It is a bit of physical work also because you need to demonstrate the exercises or body moves to the patients. This could be physically draining at times as well. So, take your decision about pursuing the career only after contemplating on these facts.

After giving it a thought, if you still feel passionate about pursuing the career, go ahead. Depending upon your interest you may either go for a Bachelors in Physiotherapy, Masters in Physiotherapy or you many are interested in doing research of taking up teaching as a profession. A doctorate is always advisable. In the US and UK, there is a high demand for Physiotherapists compared to India where the sun seems to be shining on this profession though its only into its initial growth phase. So, taking up a doctorate or a specialization in the field in an overseas university definitely would open doors to umpteen opportunities overseas for this profession. Even the payscale oversees is significantly high compared to India.

In India as a physiotherapist you may get to work in private hospitals, rehabilitation centres, defence establishments, sports and fitness centres, as private consultant to corporates, private practice at your own clinic or with the government hospitals, old age home, mental healthcare centres and more. The work timings are generally good and flexible to an extent. The good part is this profession does not require working during odd hours of the night, etc. So, you get ample time to spend with your family.

Well, Physiotherapy is a challenging field but it is interesting and self satisfying as well. If it interests you a lot and you want to work for serving people and augmenting their health and fitness levels, then this profession is the right choice for you.

* Disclaimer – Sourced from the internet. Verification required