Retired Hardcore Curious Techie/Nerd/Geek-types Question

[sengsational]

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One follow-up question would be did you consciously stay engaged and active to prevent age-related degradation in brain health and fitness or was it just a natural personality trait that continued?
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The latter, for me.

It's been mentioned already, but worth repeating: physical health is going to get you a lot farther than "brain health exercises", according to MD, longevity clinician and podcaster Peter Attia.

Presuming you aren't already well-read on the latest longevity health findings, I'd buy Attia's book. A new brain exercise might be learning how to read clinical trial papers.

 

[audreyh1]

The thing about doing games/puzzles: they don’t really know whether people who do puzzles avoid dementia or whether people who don’t have dementia do puzzles. It’s pretty weak epidemiological evidence AFAIK. I would say probably focus on other brain engaging activities and especially physical and metabolic health.

 

[joesxm3]

I have to agree, and forgot to mention, that one area of learning, out of necessity, for me has been medical and metabolic health stuff.

During my last visit to the emergency department a doctor said to me "are you some sort of medical professional?".

I was sort of proud and answered " no, it's just my hobby."

Later some friends pointed out that he was probably being sarcastic. However, a week later, my cardiologist agreed with my assessment of the situation.

On a related topic. Elon Musk was asked yesterday what people would do when AI was doing all the work. He said that it would be similar to being retired. So at some point everyone might be faced with the situation we are discussing.

I think Buckminster Fuller discussed this back in the 1970's. He said that w*rking would be a privilege reserved for the most capable and everyone else would pursue hobbies. I would add, or veg-out a la Huxley.

 

[RetiredHappy]

+1. I could have written this post, with one exception. And I’d add I am on my desktop Mac every day, after retiring 13+ years ago. Also as for books, I read non fiction exclusively, it’s been decades since I read any fiction…

+1 too. Heehee, I am on my laptop at least 10 hours a day when I am not golfing. I don't read books like I used to anymore, and I blame it on my ADD. I also work on my spreadsheet almost everyday with our investments and cash flow tracking.

 

[surprising]

One of the first things I did after retiring was dust off some software projects and ideas. Great thing about software is nearly 0 cost of entry if you already own a computer, so I have a nearly identical developer environment at home as I did at work. I like solving hard problems with software so it's been a good way to keep my brain active. The AI copilot stuff is throwing me for a loop and I have yet to embrace or try it. I have this idea of eventually trying to build a complicated software solution entirely with AI and typing 0 actual lines of code.

I am the same as OP where I get joy out of solving problems. Recently noticed water in the cab of my Ram 1500. I took the back seats out, headliner out, found and fixed a couple sources of leaks. Currently have the carpet pulled up and drying. It seems like there is always something to fix.

But I will also say there is a lot of idle time too. A whole lot of sitting and watching TV. If it's balanced with other activities I enjoy it but it doesn't take long for me to feel bored and useless. That's something I still need to figure out.

 

[Koolau]

Not even a mobile phone with a GPS built in?

Mobile phone - yes. GPS - no. I'm sure I could access GPS if I wanted to.

 

[nobody]

Retired EE here. Have taken up playing with Android software, tablets, phones, tvs and media streamers to remove a lot of crap that is extra bloatware by OEMs. Old samsung tablet that could only run Android 9, is now running Android 14. Not an ounce of samsung garabage left in her. Runs better now then it ever did.

Second hobby, learning to reload. Vast amount of info to be learned and experiment with.

 

[Route246]

Sounds like you have two separate concerns. One is your fear of getting a brain health issue like others in your family. The other is fear of losing respect for yourself if you turn out like the friends and colleagues you now view with contempt.

Seems to me your best bet for solving the first issue is learning as much as you can about what might cause these brain issues. If possible, try to see what your family members might have done "wrong." Ideas about health are evolving fast, and a lot of what used to be thought of as healthy is now being questioned. The best diet for heart health, for instance, may turn out not to be the best diet for brain health. The good news is most scientific papers nowadays are "open source" so you can read them without having to pay.

As for the second issue, hopefully you have at least a couple of friends and former colleagues with whom you can maintain rewarding relationships in retirement. If not, you will have to find new friends, perhaps by developing a new interest.

If anyone inferred I hold anyone's personal choice with contempt then I need to make it clear that I'm not judging anyone's choices. I have plenty of items in my glass house and I am not one to throw stones. What you may infer to be contempt is more like disappointment, no different from friends and colleagues who are overweight, alcoholics, addicted to drugs like nicotine or worse, not careful with spending, etc. Disappointed but in no way judging or attempting to change anyone's behavior. It is a choice in many cases and people are more than free to make personal choices. My disappointment pertains to expectations I may have had based on past behaviors.

 

[bada bing]

Retired engineer here as well. I don't think the ingrained patterns of thinking ever go away. Mental engagement is a factor in delaying cognitive decline, but as I read it, not the only or biggest factor. Exercise and diet are both more important. And genetics, which isn't an accessible lever (yet).

I don't spend much time delving into the guts of computers anymore. I was an automation engineer for the last 25 years and got enough hardware and software troubleshooting for 3 lifetimes. I build clocks, reload ammo and fly my PA18 for mental stimulation. I maintain my commercial fishing boat for fun and that's where most of the fish I eat comes from as well, I walk at least 10K steps a day, eat low carb and get at least a serving of oily fish per day for cognitive decline minimization. Avoiding too much media in any form is also important in keeping your wits IMO. I'd put the LD50 for being a Menche at 1-2 hours a day of media. I still have a Prime and Netflix account, but they're both one bad day away from cancellation.

 

[Route246]

Yeah, my mom was truly brilliant. She could add rows of figures and get the right answer. She sight read music. She skipped 2 grades in school. She was an executive secretary for a defense plant manager.

She got Alzheimers and passed at 87. Her last years were in a memory car unit. It was sad and hard to accept that someone so smart could end her days in that way. I fear that end as well. Here's to both of us never facing that fate.

I'm sure there are things we can all do to put off dementia, but I'm guessing most of it is in our genes. I don't think it's a slam dunk that I'll get it but I think about it a lot. YMMV

Heh, heh, if I start repeating myself here, maybe someone should let me know.

Was your mom's potential untapped due to economic or gender impediments? I have an aunt who was probably a victim of lacking opportunity to pursue higher education due to a lack of money and also being female when she graduated high school in the 1940s. My conversations with her when I became an adult clearly indicated a level of intellect and curiosity that was not consistent with her professional role in life. It was clear she had little self-awareness of her intellect but I could sense it very clearly when she would ask questions about things that clearly showed a level of thought beyond what everyone else in the family realized. She is a great fan of NBA basketball and would ask me questions about why players like Jordan can jump and contort that way while other players could not. I explained to her about fast-twitch muscle, hand size and how he possessed explosive strength coupled with hand-eye coordination that allowed him to project his body into the air in extreme ways. I started explaining about inertia, energy and momentum and she would ask me to explain certain things that her sisters (my other aunts and my mother) would have never even thought to ask. She was taking notes (all pre-Internet days) and I know she was ingesting this minutiae in rather uncommon ways. It dawned on me that given the opportunity she may have been a Grace Hopper or Marie Curie that never was given the opportunity to utilize her intellect. Maybe I'm just being a wishful thinking nephew but I have never met anyone else like her, especially considering she was in her 70s and 80s when we had these conversations.

 

[More Cowbell]

Others have already suggested becoming informed about the brain health issue that concerns you. Perhaps you could look into volunteering into a medical research study that investigates that area. Check what your regional medical school offers. DH is in a large scale early cancer detection study. Lots of tests, so any anomalies will hopefully be caught early.

 

[JoeWras]

Keep up your socialization, even if you are an introvert.

I agree that health and exercise are most important. But don't forget the social aspect. We are built for it. Huge sections of our brain are reserved to socialize.

My "one weird trick" is that I found a volunteer opportunity that involves repairing things. Although I'm a retired computer engineer, I find the hand's on repair and construction involves a lot of problem solving. It is all new, and invigorating, versus the computer problems that got stale. In addition, I've made new friendships with the other volunteers.

 

[skyking1]

@JoeWras , each one of those volunteer rebuilds for the low income are like a complicated puzzle, getting the proper fix while staying in budget and managing your volunteer crew. My house job is like that on a different scale, but both are very engaging. They also check that socialization box.

 

[38Chevy454]

I'm a retired engineer also. I don't think my current brain will stop solving problems, being curious, analyzing situations, or continuous learning. While I use tech, I'm much more hands on mechanical stuff. My old car hobby, house projects and maintenance, and just helping others less physically able,keep me busy. I do spend too much time researching things. Always going for that optimum solution. It's just the way my brain works.

As for family mental health issues, some basic old age dementia, but no real Alzheimer history. So that is a good sign. More concerned about cardiac issues as that has been responsible for more age related health problems. You can do some things to improve odds, but hard to change your genes.