To ward off memory loss from Alzheimer's, he went to school — and now has a degree

White Coat Black Art26:29The Graduate

When Ron Robert graduated from university last fall, he was already seven years into a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.

The now 85-year-old knew he had to keep an active mind in order to help ward off the memory loss that comes with the illness.

"I was always taught early in life that the brain is like the most powerful instrument we have in our body," he told White Coat, Black Art host Dr. Brian Goldman.

So Robert tackled a lifelong goal: he enrolled in a three-year bachelor of arts program at King's University College, in London, Ont. With the support of his teachers and peers, he walked across the stage in October.

"When I went across the stage, and as I'm getting my diploma, the kids all stood up and yelled and clapped," he recalled. "I had to hold back the tears. It was something else, just wonderful."

Robert's wife, Catherine Cornelius, says that while she's noticed some decline in his memory since starting the program, "it's still pretty good" — something she credits, partially, to his going back to school.

"I think it's just because he keeps his mind active," she said.

Alzheimer's is a disease of the brain that leads to dementia, a cognitive impairment that interferes with everyday functioning. Experts say that education and mental fitness play an important role in the condition's development.

A 2022 study out of the University of Waterloo suggests that people with mild cognitive impairment who have a higher level of education may be less likely to develop dementia. And a systematic review published in 2011 found that, in more than half of the studies analyzed, people with lower levels of education were more likely to develop dementia.

While Robert's university journey came later in life, researcher Dr. Nicole Anderson says that there's still plenty of value in actively learning following an Alzheimer's or dementia diagnosis.

"Thinking is a workout for the brain," said Anderson, a senior scientist at the Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest health science centre in Toronto.

"The areas of the brain that are working get increased blood flow; there's increased metabolism in those brain regions. Cognitive engagement also fosters neurogenesis, or the birth of new neurons in the hippocampus."

Building brain power

Returning to school in his 80s was indeed a workout for Robert. Earlier in his life, Robert had a long career as a journalist and, later, political advisor to former prime minister Pierre Trudeau — but he hadn't gone to university.

The first two years of classes were spent "learning to learn again," he said. Memorizing names, dates and places was a challenge; even though he knew the facts, recalling them didn't come easily, he said.

Robert says he turned to the school's accessibility department to develop helpful learning strategies. Recorded lectures that he reviewed four, sometimes five, times were a big help.

So were instructors who approached his learning with empathy, he said. 

During tests, he recalled, one teacher "would always know when I'm stuck — somehow, even before I got stuck, I think — and she'd just say one or two keywords, and that's all I needed."

I think often people with Alzheimer's aren't aware that it's so important to continue trying to learn new things.- Debra Sheets

Anderson notes that as Alzheimer's continues to develop, the disease's characteristic protein plaques and tangles in healthy neurons will grow regardless of a person's mental fitness.

However, increased mental activity can help build a "cognitive reserve" that makes the brain more resilient to the disease's effects.

"These things won't stop or reverse, but they will let people live longer in good brain health. And so they could effectively prevent the dementia," she said.

Maintaining social connections

Robert also forged friendships with other students, who were usually decades younger than him.

"Sometimes they would come to me with their problems because I would look like the old grandfather on the campus, I guess, and they felt comfortable speaking to me," he said.

Anderson says retaining social connections can be as important as physical and mental exercise to slowing the disease's effect on memory. When people learn about an Alzheimer's or dementia diagnosis, many withdraw from social activities out of concern for how they'll be perceived. 

Debra Sheets — a University of Victoria gerontology researcher who organizes arts and activity programs for people living with dementia, their caregivers and high school students — has seen the benefit of providing opportunities for social connection.

The programs, which include a choir, help break down the stigma associated with Alzheimer's and dementia. 

"What we found was that people that participated in the choir over the course of two years, they had reduced cognitive decline — about half of what would have been expected in a national sample of people who weren't involved in the choir with memory loss," said Sheets, a professor at the University of Victoria's School of Nursing.

Sheets says that staying engaged after an Alzheimer's diagnosis is crucial.

"I think often people with Alzheimer's aren't aware that it's so important to continue trying to learn new things, doing new things and engaging socially with other people. It makes a huge difference."

Pushing for empathy and acceptance

Robert now speaks with medical students, emphasizing the importance of empathy — particularly for those with dementia — in health care. 

It's inspired partially by Robert's own experiences. He told White Coat, Black Art, that there was little support after his doctor delivered the Alzheimer's diagnosis and told him he would have to give up his driver's licence. 

"When that patient comes into your office, take five minutes to relax him or her. Don't just jump in," he tells them.

He also speaks with Alzheimer's groups and plans to contribute to a study looking at best practices for teaching patients with dementia.

But Robert has come to terms with his diagnosis. He knows it will continue to progress and that he will continue to lose memories. Despite the challenge that poses, he approaches it with a positive attitude.

"There's nothing I can do about it. You only worry about things you can't change. So I don't worry about that," he said.

"We're all going to get bumps in the road as we get old. It's inevitable…. We're all going to die, so accept that and start living. And until you do accept that, you can't live."