A well-functioning brain is key to a long and happy life

A well-functioning brain is key to a long and happy life. It becomes hard to make good decisions about your health and care for your own well-being as your brain shows the effects of aging.

A number of studies have shown that the ability to speak two or more languages significantly slows the onset of dementia and Alzheimer’s, two fatal diseases of old age. Dr. Fergus Craik and others of the Rotman Research Institute, Toronto, found in a study of 200 patients that those who had spoken two or more
languages for many years had delayed onset of Alzheimer’s, in some cases up to five years.
This may be because speaking two languages creates a greater brain reserve, or ability to function normally despite damage. Certainly the cognitive benefits of bilingualism, such as better executive function, are well known.
This effect was seen even in people who had learned another language as an adult.