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Anthea Rowan

This is the 57th instalment in a series on dementia, including the research into its causes and treatment, advice for carers and stories of hope.
An acquaintance once asked, while my mother was alive and living with me, “Have you got her a toy cat yet?”
Reading my expression as one of incomprehension, she elaborated: “You know, a teddy-bear cat, something she can pet?”
A toy cat?
“My mother’s on her fourth,” she said. “She strokes them until their fur falls out. When they’re bald, we just buy her another one.”

I did not appreciate what she was talking about at the time. But as the months went on and dementia claimed more of my mother, I was able to see the potential value of a toy cat.
Thankfully, though, we have our own real cat, Mr Puss. I became more aware of how Mum was calmed by him when he sat on her lap for a stroke. His arrival in her room was always a happy distraction if she was becoming agitated by something.
She began to seem more comfortable, more confident, in the company of animals than humans. Animals are very accepting – it does not matter if you cannot remember their names or when or how you met them, and the early days of losing the details of her human connections were very distressing for my mother.
I should not have been surprised at the calming effect animals have on adults with dementia. It is well documented that pets can support better mental health. Studies also find a positive link between pet ownership or pet care and the health of adults who are experiencing cognitive decline.

A study published in China a year ago found that having a pet was associated with slower rates of decline in verbal memory and verbal fluency among older adults over 50 and living alone. The findings seem to suggest that the company of pets can help to stave off some of the negative effects of living alone.
Another study – which looked at data from 11,000 adults aged 65 and older over a period of four years – found that dog owners had as much as a 40 per cent lower risk of developing dementia than older adults who did not own dogs.
This could be explained, in part, by the extra exercise dog owners get because dogs need regular walking; research suggests that dog owners are 2.5 times more likely to achieve the criteria for physical activity, 150 minutes a week, than those without a dog to walk.
This is key: good cardiovascular health makes for good brain health.
Dog walking has also been associated with less loneliness and better social interaction among older adults, which is significant, too, given that social isolation is a risk factor for dementia in adults as they age.

Even among adults already diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, pet ownership was found to have a positive effect on daily living function, mood and mental health, all of which go downhill in people with dementia – and on the disease’s progression.
Apart from the company it offers, owning a pet gives a person much more purpose to their day, especially if they live alone – it means there is something that needs tending to, talking to, feeding.
All of this drives a sense of purpose – you have to walk a dog, you have to arrange to buy pet food, and give that pet food and water.
Having a sense of purpose – something an older person can lack when they retire, say, or lose a life partner – has also been cited as a “robust predictor of lower risk of incident dementia and a promising target of intervention for cognitive health outcomes”.
My fat, neutered cat – “Is it a she?”, mum asked every day, several times a day. “No Mum, it’s a, was a he” – was always greeted with enthusiastic calls of pusspusspusspuss every time he appeared in her room.

As soon as the cat arrived in Mum’s room, she would rise from her chair, the cat weaving between her ankles, and make her way to where her tea-making paraphernalia was.
She would pour a saucer of milk for the cat and tip biscuits into his bowl – and then watch him gobble it all up with evident delight.
We have a dog, too, a black Labrador named Jip. She took to sitting as close to Mum as she could during meals and at snack time. When Mum thought I was not looking, she would throw Jip treats: toast crusts, a biscuit, a bit of banana – declined, astonishingly for a Lab – and many, many cheese-flavoured potato chips.
Mum squealed with laughter as Jip scrabbled to retrieve them.
When Jip went to the vet and was in an animal hospital for three weeks post-surgery, Mum did not forget about her or why she was not with us. She asked about her every day and reported on her progress to anybody who called: “Jip is still at the vet having an operation.”
She was as thrilled to see Jip return as Jip was to see Mum: she went racing into Mum’s room, impeded by a bucket collar to stop her chewing stitches out, which made Mum roar with laughter. And then the toast crusts and biscuits and crisps got thrown about again, and I could hear Jip scrabble, hampered by the collar, to retrieve them.
“Mum! Stop feeding her!” I would holler. “Oh, sorry, I forgot,” she would reply.

Why was my friend’s mother attached to her toy cat – that did not need feeding or walking – so much so that she stroked it until it went bald?
The act of stroking it – until its fur fell out – would have brought significant comfort to her. This is important in dementia, as sufferers are prone to high levels of agitation.
Petting an animal has positive and measurable physiological effects. Research shows that stroking a dog or cat can lower blood pressure and heart rate within minutes.
This is because touch – and many elderly people living alone do not benefit from nearly enough touch – sends signals to the brain which help to regulate the parasympathetic nervous system.
It increases levels of the feel-good hormone oxytocin that helps mothers bond with their babies; as a 2019 study by Washington State University revealed, just 10 minutes of stroking a cat or a dog significantly lowers levels of cortisol, our stress hormone.
As language begins to fail and conversations become difficult for dementia sufferers, they can feel increasingly isolated as they withdraw. Animals provide a conduit for remaining engaged.
You can talk nonsense to a cat or a dog, call it by any name and you can still love it. And – in the case of dogs, at least – it will love you back patiently and without judgment.
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How to prevent dementia, and 10 things to ask a doctor to help safeguard your brain health

Wellness

How pets gave my dementia-afflicted mother affection, as well as a sense of purpose

Anthea Rowan’s late mother, Lala Stephen, cuddles the family pet Mr Purr. Research has shown owning or caring for a pet lowers the risk of developing dementia, improves the emotional state of adults who have the condition and may slow their rate of cognitive decline. Photo: Anthea Rowan

The writer’s late mother strokes the family cat Mr Puss. Among adults already diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, pet ownership was found to have a positive effect on daily living function, mood and mental health. Photo: Anthea Rowan 

Petting an animal comes with positive physiological effects. Photo: Shutterstock

A study found dog owners had as much as a 40 per cent lower risk of developing dementia than older adults who did not own dogs. Photo: Shutterstock

Owning a pet, apart from the company an animal offers, gives a person much more purpose to their day, especially if they live alone. Photo: Shutterstock

As language begins to fail and conversations become difficult in dementia, sufferers can feel increasingly isolated as they withdraw. Animals provide a conduit for remaining engaged. Photo: Anthea Rowan

How loneliness speeds ageing and raises dementia risk, and tips to prevent it

Thinking you are old - or accepting the ageism that society thrusts upon you - can become a self-fulfilling prophecy, so you will be less likely to try new things. This can lead to a higher risk of developing dementia, according to research. Photo: Shutterstock

Social engagement brings benefits. The frivolity of a lunch or dinner party, for example, is in fact an important, textured, multilayered puzzle that fires the neurons in our brains. Photo: Shutterstock  

Dr Andrew Sommerlad is an associate professor in University College London’s division of psychiatry. Photo: X/atsommerlad

Martina Luchetti at the Florida State University College of Medicine recently wrote a review of many studies on the links between dementia and loneliness. Photo: Florida State University

Dr David Merrill, a geriatric psychiatrist, says retirement exposes the elderly to the risk of loneliness. Photo: courtesy of David Merrill

From taking dancing lessons in retirement, you could benefit from the cognitive challenge of learning new steps and are more socially engaged and active, says Monica Moreno from the Alzheimer’s Association in Chicago, Illinois. Photo: Shutterstock

Testing for dementia by asking patients to draw a clock, walk and talk, stand on one leg

The clock-drawing test requires a person to be able to interpret the placement of the hands in relation to the numbers. It is an ability often lost in people with early dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

There are many different ways to score the clock-drawing test. Photo: Shutterstock

Dr Baibing Chen says the clock-drawing test is especially useful in judging brain health. Photo: Dr Baibing Chen

If a person has trouble with the balance test, standing on one leg for up to 30 seconds, it can indicate problems with motor coordination or even early signs of neurodegenerative conditions. Photo: Shutterstock

A diminished sense of smell is often one of the earliest signs of Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease, sometimes predating cognitive symptoms by years. It can also be a symptom of Covid-19. Photo: Shutterstock

Tests must be conducted within the context of the patient’s overall health, history, and current symptoms. Photo: Shutterstock

Different parts of the brain are responsible for different cognitive skills. Illustration: Shutterstock

Just as not all memory lapses mean someone has dementia, “failing” these tests does not necessarily mean they suffer from it. Photo: Shutterstock

How to prevent dementia: does this Amazonian tribe hold the key? It has an 80% lower incidence than in the West

The Tsimané indigenous people of the Bolivian Amazon have some of the healthiest hearts on the planet and very low rates of dementia, giving clues as to how to prevent it. Photo: Instagram / @unesco

A Tsimané man monitors a burning field in the Bolivian Amazon. The Tsimané have some of the healthiest hearts on the planet, according to cardiologist Dr Randall Thompson from Kansas City, Missouri, US. Photo: AP

One measure of a healthy brain is brain volume; as we age, our brains tend to shrink. The decrease in the Tsimané population’s brain volumes is much, much less than people who live in the West. Illustration: Shutterstock

Social isolation is another risk for dementia. Living in communities assures that the Tsimané are not isolated, unlike many older people in Western countries. Photo: Shutterstock

Some think that phytochemicals released by plants stimulate humans’ immune systems. Photo: Shutterstock

How TCM could help fight dementia. With cases set to triple, a Hong Kong expert explains

Researchers, including in Hong Kong, have been looking at the potential of traditional Chinese medicine to treat dementia, cases of which are forecast to rise as the elderly population grows. Photo: Yik Yeung-man

Dr Fanny Ip Chui-fun, chief scientific officer of the Hong Kong Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases, says there is a pressing need to find solutions to dementia. Photo: HKCeND

TCM has the potential to help treat dementia because of the way it promotes gut health – which is linked to brain health. Photo: Shutterstock 

The leaves and bark of Ginkgo biloba, a tree which has been around for 250 million years, have long been used in TCM. They are believed to improve cognitive function. Photo: Shutterstock

VascuReform is a herbal brain health product under the Cogniherbs label designed to protect cognitive function. Photo: Infitech

A diagram of a cross-section of the brain of an Alzheimer’s sufferer, showing atrophy of the cerebral cortex and an enlarged hippocampus and ventricles. Photo: Shutterstock 

Lifestyle

Health & Wellness

Health

Family & Relationships

Decoding dementia

How caring for a parent with dementia taught me about symptoms, prevention and why seeking out the latest research is so important

Author Anthea Rowan (right) with her mother.

Author Anthea Rowan (right) with her mother, who has Alzheimer’s disease, the most common type of dementia. Photo: Anthea Rowan

Anthea with her mother. Photo: Anthea Rowan

Studies suggest that regular exercise lowers the risk of cognitive decline by 35 per cent. Photo: Getty Images

Staying active can help prevent or delay the onset of dementia, studies suggest. Photo: Shutterstock

Why should you have a brain scan to test for dementia when there’s no cure? Knowing can help you delay its onset, neurologist says

It can be daunting to get a brain scan to test for signs of dementia, but a neurologist behind new research reveals the advantages of knowing early. Photo: Shutterstock

New research has found that dementia can be detected as early as nine years before symptoms manifest, and this could have significant implications for treatment. Photo: Shutterstock

Timothy Rittman, the neurologist who led the dementia research at Cambridge University. Photo: Cambridge University

A brain scan showing signs of dementia. Photo: Getty Images

Lizzie Perry, founder of This is Dementia, with her father, who was diagnosed with the disease at 58. Photo: This is Dementia

The approval in the US of a new drug that slows the onset of Alzheimer’s makes Rittman hopeful about the future of dementia treatment. Photo: Cambridge University

Why women are more likely to have dementia than men as they age, and how exercise and engagement can help lower your risk

Women may be at a greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s than men for a number of reasons: biological, societal or cultural. Experts suggest exercise and social engagement can help offset the risk. Photo: Getty Images

The spread of tau – the protein that clumps into the telltale tangles of dementia – may contribute to Alzheimer’s disease. Photo: Shutterstock

Female twins with a male co-twin were less likely to be diagnosed with dementia than female twins with a female co-twin. Photo: Shutterstock

Prenatal care and monitoring pregnant women’s health is key, as it may impact cognition and dementia risk in later life. Photo: Shutterstock

Taking regular exercise is key for women – and men – to reduce the risk of dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

How high or low blood pressure increases the risk of dementia, and why it’s never too late, or early, to adopt a healthy lifestyle to manage it

Having blood pressure that is too high or too low has been linked to a higher risk of dementia, but it’s never too late to start living a healthy lifestyle that will help maintain optimal blood pressure. Photo: Shutterstock


An optimal blood pressure reading, easily measured with a home device, is around 120/80. Photo: Shutterstock

Dr Ruth Peters was lead author of a study looking at the links between blood pressure and dementia. Photo: Dr Ruth Peters

It’s never too late, or too early, to start thinking about brain health and living a healthy lifestyle. Photo: Shutterstock

Problems with reasoning, planning, judgment, memory and other thought processes may result from damage caused by impaired blood flow to the brain – which may be brought on by high blood pressure. Photo: Shutterstock

6 dementia fighting tips from Dr Sanjay Gupta and Marc Milstein, experts on brain health – walk, talk, read, learn, relax, and eat and drink properly

We can protect ourselves against the risk of dementia with some simple lifestyle practices. Exercising (above), eating a good diet, drinking less alcohol, socialising, reading more and trying new things all help keep the brain sharp, say brain experts including Dr Sanjay Gupta. Photo: Shutterstock 

The cover of one of Dr Sanjay Gupta’s book. Photo: Simon & Schuster

The cover of Marc Milstein’s book. Photo: Marc Milstein

Drink alcohol mindfully and ask yourself why you are having that drink. Photo: Shutterstock

Learning new things creates new brain cell connections and helps keep your mind sharp. Photo: Shutterstock

Reading is good for brain health. Try to read a wide range of book styles, and join a book club to discuss with others what you are reading. Photo: Shutterstock

During sleep, our brains are restored and repaired, so relaxing is important if we’re going to get those seven hours of quality sleep. Photo: Shutterstock

Relationships keep us engaged, interested and interesting, and may help prevent dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

‘Like a light switch’: how sundowning syndrome affects dementia sufferers – and their carers; what it is and tips for how to cope

A person with dementia may experience “sundowning” syndrome - towards the end of the day they become more agitated, confused, panicked, resistant to instruction and restless. This affects their carers, too. Photo: Shutterstock

A person in bed, unable to sleep. Conservative estimates suggest about 20 per cent of dementia patients experience sundowning at some point.

Trey Todd is a neuroscientist at the University of Wyoming. Photo: Trey Todd

Sundowning was coined in 1987 by Lois Evans of Penn Nursing at Pennsylvania University. Photo: University of Pennsylvania

The pineal gland in our brain produces melatonin, which is what helps prompt us to sleep and awaken. In a broken system it is disrupted. Melatonin supplements might help fight sundowning. Photo: Shutterstock

Taking a patient with sundowning syndrome for a walk at a consistent time each day, morning or evening, may alleviate symptoms. Photo: Shutterstock

Getting out into the daylight early in the day is good for our sleep patterns, whether we have dementia or not. Photo: Shutterstock

Healthy marriage, healthy mind? Dementia risk lower for people married a long time, studies show; expert suggests why

Research suggests that people who have stayed married for a long time have a lower risk for dementia because they feel less lonely, are more likely to eat well and exercise more, and are more cognitively engaged. Photo: Shutterstock

Vegard Skirbekk is a researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. Photo: Norwegian Institute of Public Health

Anthea Rowan’s parents on their wedding day. Photo: courtesy of Anthea Rowan

A long-time married partner represents a security that provides a buffer against stressors. Photo: Shutterstock

Anthea Rowan and her husband on their wedding day. Photo: courtesy of Anthea Rowan

If you live with a partner long term, you are more likely to develop healthy daily patterns, to eat well and exercise more. Photo: Shutterstock

‘Dementia village’ that’s the first of its kind helps residents live normal lives, has a restaurant, theatre and supermarket – and no one wears a white coat

Residents are free to live their lives as they like at the world’s first “dementia village”, The Hogeweyk in The Netherlands. Photo: The Hogeweyk

The Hogeweyk, a “dementia villlage” in the Netherlands, provides care and a familiar and safe environment in which people with dementia live while retaining their own identity and autonomy as much as possible. Photo: The Hogeweyk

Jannette Spiering is the senior managing adviser and co-founder at The Hogeweyk in the Netherlands, which offers “humanising care for people with dementia”. Photo: The Hogeweyk

Residents relax around the fountain in the theatre square at The Hogeweyk. Photo: The Hogeweyk 

Residents of The Hogeweyk respond positively to their increased autonomy. Photo: The Hogeweyk

Residents at the healthcare facility take part in a painting class. Photo: The Hogeweyk

Hearing loss dramatically raises the risk of dementia, so why are so many people in midlife doing nothing to prevent it? A test is easy to arrange

Hearing loss has been linked to a higher risk of dementia and cognitive decline,  say experts, who recommend testing for preventable hearing problems (above).  Photo: Getty Images

Alison Huang, a senior research associate at the Cochlear Centre at Johns Hopkins, in the US, says hearing loss makes the brain work harder to process sounds. Photo: Johns Hopkins

Jiang Fan from the School of Public Health at China’s Shandong University. Photo: Shandong University

Checking your hearing in midlife is crucial, and can help you stave off cognitive deterioration. Photo: Shutterstock

Can HRT reduce dementia risk? New hormone replacement therapy studies say yes, upending 2002 reports

HRT use has been linked to better cognition, blood flow and brain size and a reduction in all neurodegenerative disease in recent studies. Photo: Shutterstock

HRT (hormone replacement therapy) use has been linked to better cognition, blood flow and brain size and a reduction in dementia and other neurodegenerative disease in recent studies. Photo: Shutterstock

If HRT is started after the age of 65, brain cells will have already been deprived of oestrogen for many years. This could mean there is a decline in neuronal connections – the brain’s messaging system. Photo: Shutterstock

HRT was found to be most effective when introduced early in menopause, says Anne Marie Minihane, director of the UK’s Norwich Institute of Healthy Ageing at the University of East Anglia. Photo: University of East Anglia

Dr Andrea Kwakowsky from at the University of Galway in Ireland believes the “critical period” for starting HRT is within five years of menopause. Photo: University of Galway

How can you prevent dementia? Free brain health online tool teaches the risks and gives essential tips on avoiding it

The new free “Think Brain Health Check-in” online tool from Alzheimer’s Research UK doesn’t test your memory but checks how well you’re looking after your brain and gives tips to help prevent dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

Dr Susan Mitchell is head of policy at Alzheimer’s Research UK. Photo: Dr Susan Mitchell

The Think Brain Health Check-in asks how often you challenge your brain - and then highlights why challenging your brain is key to staving off dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

Getting a good night’s sleep every night is one way to lower the risk of developing dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

Up to 40 per cent of dementia cases could be prevented if people were mindful of the risk factors for the illness and made lifestyle changes to prevent them. Photo: Shutterstock

Can lack of sleep raise dementia risk? Yes, studies say – but with one exception

Having only five hours of sleep a night can increase dementia risk by 30 per cent for adults over 50, one study says. Photo: Shutterstock

One tip to overcome insomnia is to avoid clock-watching. Photo: Shutterstock

Taking a warm shower or bath in the hour or so before bed may help you fall asleep – and stay asleep. Photo: Shutterstock

Professor Roger Wong of the department of public health and preventive medicine at the State University of New York’s Upstate Medical University. Photo: Roger Wong

Sleep aids can heighten dementia risk, Wong says. Photo: Shutterstock

Can’t sleep? Try getting up and engaging in cognitively stimulating activities, like reading or making jam. Photo: Shutterstock

Dementia and ACB scores: how common prescription and over-the-counter drugs raise the risk of memory loss and cognitive decline

Certain common drugs, including antihistamines, antacids, antidepressants and anti-anxiety medicines, can disrupt the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, dubbed the “memory molecule” increasing the risk of dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

The writer, Anthea Rowan, with her mother. Photo: Anthea Rowan

Taking medications that block the action of acetylcholine can lead to memory loss, problems with spatial awareness, and cognitive decline. Photo: Shutterstock

Studies have found that anticholinergic drugs carried “significant’ dementia risk” for the over-65s. Photo: Shutterstock

Doctors need to be mindful of the risks posed by anticholinergic drugs, especially to an already at-risk population: the over 65s. Photo: Shutterstock

How to safeguard your ageing brain: build ‘cognitive reserve’ with mental and physical exercise, and stay active and socially engaged

The phrase ‘use it or lose it’ is not just a hypothesis, it’s a basic biological fact that holds as true for our brains as our muscles or bones. Photo:
Shutterstock

Our brains, like our muscles need regular use to stay healthy and flexible, say experts, and keeping our brains active builds our ‘cognitive reserve’, helping us to stave off dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

How pets gave my dementia-afflicted mother affection, as well as a sense of purpose

It is known that keeping pets can support better mental health. In the case of dementia patients they also give them purpose and comfort