Talking on Zoom Could Help Older People Stave Off Dementia

A new study has suggested that conversations on Zoom during the pandemic have helped older adults stave off dementia, reports CNN . The study investigated the communication of 11,418 men and women over the age of 50; they were asked how frequently they engaged with friends and family online, on the phone, and in person, and then completed memory tests that involved remembering a list of 10 words at various intervals. Those who only used "traditional," face-to-face communication exhibited more signs of cognitive decline than those who used technology to stay in touch with friends and family. "This shows for the first time the impact of diverse, frequent, and meaningful interactions on long-term memory, and specifically, how supplementing more traditional methods with online social activity may achieve that among older adults," said Snorri Rafnsson at the University of West London. "With more and more older adults now using online communication so frequently, especially during the past year of global lockdowns, it poses the question as to what extent technology can help sustain relationships and overcome social isolation, and how that can also help maintain brain health."