Women over age 90 are significantly more likely to have dementia compared to men in their 90s, according to a study published in the July 2, 2008, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Research shows that dementia risk for both men and women increases from age 65 to 85, but this most recent study is one of few that looks at people over age 90.

“While men don’t typically live as long as women, those who do make it to age 90 appear to be much less likely to have dementia and also have a shorter survival time when they do have dementia,” according to study author Maria Corrada, ScD, with the University of California, Irvine.

Researchers reviewed an analysis of about 900 people age 90 and older. Of those, 375 had dementia.

The study found that women were nearly twice as likely to have dementia in their 90s compared to men. The results also showed that the likelihood of having dementia doubled every five years in women but not in men.

“As more and more people reach age 90, our findings provide further evidence that more needs to be done to provide adequate resources to care for the increasing number of very old people with memory problems,” said Corrada.

In addition, the study found that women with a higher education appeared to be as much as 45 percent less likely to have dementia compared to women with less education.

The 90 plus age group, or the “oldest-old” is the fastest growing segment of the elderly population according to the US Census.

The older I get, the more I learn.  That’s one of the reasons I appreciate aging—because it comes with wisdom.  The stupid, crazy things I did 20 and 30 years ago no longer matter, but they did teach me how to grow up and move on.  Even thought these “life lessons” have been floating around cyberspace for quite a while, there are lessons I have taken to heart:

• The Lord didn’t do it all in one day. What makes me think I can?
• Money doesn’t buy class.
• The best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.
• We should be glad God doesn’t give us everything we ask for.
• It’s those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.
• Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you’re climbing it.
• Under everyone’s hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.
• I can always pray for someone when I don’t have the strength to help him in some other way.
• Sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.
• Being kind is more important than being right.
• Never say no to a gift from a child.
• Having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world.
• A drive to McDonald’s with my parents when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult.
• The less time I have to work, the more things I get done.
• Life is like a roll of toilet paper.  The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.

What have you learned?