Patience is also a form of action. ~Auguste Rodin
Studies of alcohol use and cognition among the elderly are rare. A study of drinking among the elderly in Brazil has found that heavy alcohol use is associated with more memory and cognitive problems than mild-to-moderate alcohol use, especially among women.
“There is a scarcity of information about alcohol use and the elderly,” said Marcos Antonio Lopes, an author of the study. “It needs to be resolved in order to construct a real diagnosis and promote proper health care for this population.”
According to Jerson Laks, a researcher with the Brazilian National Committee for Research, “alcohol use is frequently an exclusion criterion for any study of cognition and dementia in the elderly, as well as in studies aimed at depression.”
“This study shows that older people keep drinking along the life span,” said Laks. “Taking into consideration that drinking may lead to falls and to cognitive impairment when heavy use is the case, this study creates important awareness about this issue.”
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