Why pointless hobbies like lego and model railways can help prevent dementia

[Luc Janssens]

This popped up in my facebook feed.

 

Why ‘pointless’ hobbies like Lego and model railways can help prevent dementia (msn.com)

[OldTrucker]

Anything that keeps the mind working to solve problems.

We got my late mother-in-law away from the television and working word search, crosswords and jigsaw puzzles along with exercise, walking and saw fhe progression slow.

[Ace-Garageguy]

"Pointless"? Really?

And I find the quoted little ----- rather condescending: "I found all this mortifying when I was a teenager – ‘Your dad still plays with trains?’ – but see it as rather sweet now that he is in his 70s."

I guess if your entire life revolves around sitting in a cubicle in front of a screen, social-media, and a substitute for a functioning brain called a "smart phone", anything that doesn't involve constant typing and texting and "connectedness" is "pointless".

As Johnny Holt remarked: "Anything that keeps the mind working to solve problems" is going to stave off mental deterioration. Gardening, and woodworking are especially good, as you can eat, sell, or use the results. PHYSICAL SKILLS work parts of your brain like nothing else, and I see the decline in physical skills as contributing to the decline in problem-solving and critical-thinking in general.

But even READING, rather than simply sitting in front of pre-digested video pap, keeps your mind sharper because YOU come up with the visuals that accompany the words, instead of having everything fed to you by the spoonful, no chewing necessary.

EDIT: Quoting the little ----- again: "There’s plenty of stuff I enjoy doing – playing various instruments, learning languages, cooking, drawing, Scrabble, chess, cinema, ceramics, making the kids’ Lego models – but the idea of devoting head space and house space to activities with no prospect of return on investment feels weirdly decadent."

My take on that: p a t h e t i c.

Edited August 10, 2024 by Ace-Garageguy

[Dave Van]

I agree that model cars, model trains etc do help keep the mind sharp. Thus they are vital not useless.  I design each project in my mind many times before I sit and work on it for real.  My wife designs kids clothes and sew and or knits them. Same benefit.......does seem to diminish her hearing.......hearing me anyways!!  

Project....useless?

 

[Ace-Garageguy]

Another quote from the article: " 'Once children see the model railways in action, it captures their imagination,’ says Quest. ‘It’s a fantastic hobby for young people. It’s sociable, it’s therapeutic and it teaches them a bunch of skills. I’m not sure who said it, but a model railway layout is like the contents of someone’s mind laid out on a table. It’s about creating a world and having control of it.’"

Doesn't sound "pointless" to me.

[Dave Van]

1 hour ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

Another quote from the article: " 'Once children see the model railways in action, it captures their imagination,’ says Quest. ‘It’s a fantastic hobby for young people. It’s sociable, it’s therapeutic and it teaches them a bunch of skills. I’m not sure who said it, but a model railway layout is like the contents of someone’s mind laid out on a table. It’s about creating a world and having control of it.’"

Doesn't sound "pointless" to me.

My daughter graduated from Marshall U with a early education degree.  There was a model train show on campus the first year she was there. Figured a good way to get in a train show and see my daughter. She said she'd attend the show with me if it was OK to being a child she was doing day care for. He was autistic and wheelchair bound.  When we got to the show he was captivated by the large train displays. To cut the story short.......in the end the boy's parents got him train set which became his favorite thing and became a teaching aid. My daughter wrote an essay on the benefits of model trains and learning disabled kids.  It got to where there were a few kids with learning issues that would display at the train show.  So hobbies are more than keeping our older minds working. Thanks

[stitchdup]

While my take on this doesn't involve what would be considered hobbies as such. When i was caring for my grandmother who had dementia we would go through her old photos and label who was who in them along with where etc. out of the 3 people that had dementia that i've cared for, she was the only one that could hold a proper conversation a year after diagnosis. while what i did was nothing special, i think it slowed it down and i'll tell everyone to do stuff like this. it doesn't matter what it is and its much better than a care home because they just cant spare the one on one time to do it. it can be as simple as having them fold the laundry or even just a meal at a dining table with no tech so you have conversations

[peteski]

My mom has dementia and while she doesn't  remember neighbor's names or what she asked me less than minute ago (she repeats the same question over and over), she gets really focused when solving word puzzles.  And she actually solves them. It's amazing how human brain works.

[bobthehobbyguy]

It would be interesting to do brain scans to see what parts of the brain are stimulated. A comparison of a person without dementia and some with dementia. 

I myself enjoy jigsaw puzzles, cryptograms and other pencil puzzles.

[StevenGuthmiller]

Pointless?.....really?

Is there any more pointless hobby than the game of golf?

Driving around for hours at a time on a little electric cart, in pursuit of a tiny white ball, on some of the biggest wastes of real estate on the planet!

 

 

 

Steve

Edited August 11, 2024 by StevenGuthmiller

[Brian Austin]

On 8/10/2024 at 1:18 PM, Ace-Garageguy said:

"Pointless"? Really?

And I find the quoted little ----- rather condescending: "I found all this mortifying when I was a teenager – ‘Your dad still plays with trains?’ – but see it as rather sweet now that he is in his 70s."

 

Being interested in trains (and by extension, model trains) is often seen by "oudsiders" to be a rather strange hobby.  And if you should be enthusiastic in your pursuit, you get branded as a weirdo. 

This video essay explains this point of view from a British perspective. 

 

[Brian Austin]

It should be pointed out that the article mentions the "gloom and doom" in the British media and forums regarding the state of the model railway hobby as of last year when a major retailer closed down and a major model train exhibition was discontinued due to members aging out.  Suddenly the hobby was doomed.

Much has happened since last year.  A new large exhibition is taking over the space the previous one had occupied, and the previous club is launching a smaller show elsewhere.  That hobby is far from dying.

As far as the article goes, I think people here are latching onto the wrong message.  I see it as free positive press for hobbies.  Remember the positive articles regarding hobbies during the pandemic?  Nothing wrong with that.  I think the article is sating that hobbies are in fact not "pointless" as some might consider.

[Ace-Garageguy]

57 minutes ago, Brian Austin said:

Being interested in trains (and by extension, model trains) is often seen by "oudsiders" to be a rather strange hobby.  And if you should be enthusiastic in your pursuit, you get branded as a weirdo. 

This video essay explains this point of view from a British perspective. 

Lotsa things aren't understood by "outsiders".

I used to entertain a lot, cook dinner for groups of people when I lived in a nice big house, and one lovely woman I was really interested in (I got over it) asked me "why do you have so many cars?".

She'd never heard of people who had multiple vintage vehicles they loved to work on, restored, drove on different days, etc. She thought it was "weird". Cars to her were simply appliances, and nobody would be crazy enough to have 10 different kinds of refrigerators, would they?

Another one saw bookcases all over the house and asked "what do you do with so many books?" 

Ummmm...read them? Refer to them for reference? Enjoy looking at the photographs and art?

But of course having 50 pairs of shoes and a closet full of unwearable "designer" clothes or thousands of dollars worth of Beanie Babies or Hummel figurines, nobody bats an eyelash.

I pretty much don't give a rat's backside what anyone thinks of anything I do, but it chaps my backside when some condescending little ignorant dwerble refers to someone's hobby as "rather sweet now that he is in his 70s".

And nobody but my absolute closest longtime friends EVER saw the model shop in those days. I'm sure the average walking talking mediocrity would have thought I was certifiable if they had...or did today. 

Must be like everyone else, must be like everyone else, must be like everyone else, must be... 

Edited August 12, 2024 by Ace-Garageguy

[Ace-Garageguy]

17 minutes ago, Brian Austin said:

As far as the article goes, I think people here are latching onto the wrong message.  I see it as free positive press for hobbies.  Remember the positive articles regarding hobbies during the pandemic?  Nothing wrong with that.  I think the article is sating that hobbies are in fact not "pointless" as some might consider.

I agree. But the little fella they started off quoting really put me off.

And the tendency for most people to live a TLDR existence should always be considered by any journalist.

Get to the point early.

EDIT: Far as the model train thing goes, there's been a lot of hand-wringing about the hobby being "doomed" for a while, and though it's changed considerably (the shrinking availability of kits, and an emphasis on pretty spendy RTR stuff, for one thing), with high cost and an ageing-out group of enthusiasts often cited as reasons, there seems to be a growing interest in buying cheap old broken RR models and repairing/upgrading them...something I started doing long before it was "a thing".

I'm also kinda glad for the wide decline in interest in RR kit building, as it's allowed me to stock up on a lot of really cool (to me) vintage kits that had been getting into the stupid-money territory there for a while.

 

Edited August 12, 2024 by Ace-Garageguy

[Oldriginal86]

18 hours ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

Pointless?.....really?

Is there any more pointless hobby than the game of golf?

Driving around for hours at a time on a little electric cart, in pursuit of a tiny white ball, on some of the biggest wastes of real estate on the planet!

 

 

 

Steve

POINTLESS,POINTLESS. 18 holes with me presents thousands of problem solving opportunities.

[stitchdup]

51 minutes ago, Oldriginal86 said:

POINTLESS,POINTLESS. 18 holes with me presents thousands of problem solving opportunities.

your either playing golf or fitting a front bumper to a nissan 200

[StevenGuthmiller]

3 hours ago, Oldriginal86 said:

POINTLESS,POINTLESS. 18 holes with me presents thousands of problem solving opportunities.

I assumed that would ruffle some feathers.

And it makes my point perfectly.

Nobody would ever dream of calling golf pointless, (which in my opinion, it is) but they apparently have no compunctions with calling forms of modeling pointless.

I would argue that at least with modeling, (model railroading included) something is being created.

Exactly what is being created with a round of golf, other than sweat stains in the arm pits of a mint green or salmon polo shirt? ?

 

I joke! ?

 

 

 

Steve

[StevenGuthmiller]

On 8/10/2024 at 12:18 PM, Ace-Garageguy said:

"Pointless"? Really?

And I find the quoted little ----- rather condescending: "I found all this mortifying when I was a teenager – ‘Your dad still plays with trains?’ – but see it as rather sweet now that he is in his 70s."

I guess if your entire life revolves around sitting in a cubicle in front of a screen, social-media, and a substitute for a functioning brain called a "smart phone", anything that doesn't involve constant typing and texting and "connectedness" is "pointless".

As Johnny Holt remarked: "Anything that keeps the mind working to solve problems" is going to stave off mental deterioration. Gardening, and woodworking are especially good, as you can eat, sell, or use the results. PHYSICAL SKILLS work parts of your brain like nothing else, and I see the decline in physical skills as contributing to the decline in problem-solving and critical-thinking in general.

But even READING, rather than simply sitting in front of pre-digested video pap, keeps your mind sharper because YOU come up with the visuals that accompany the words, instead of having everything fed to you by the spoonful, no chewing necessary.

EDIT: Quoting the little ----- again: "There’s plenty of stuff I enjoy doing – playing various instruments, learning languages, cooking, drawing, Scrabble, chess, cinema, ceramics, making the kids’ Lego models – but the idea of devoting head space and house space to activities with no prospect of return on investment feels weirdly decadent."

My take on that: p a t h e t i c.

Oh, so now I get it.

As Long as you’re pursuing the “accepted” hobbies, such as ceramics, chess, learning new languages, etc, you’re doing it right.

Sounds to me like this egghead has more of an issue with understanding than any real insight.

I’ll confess that I didn’t read the article, because as a rule, I don’t read things that begin with such blatant negativity for something the writer clearly has no understanding of.

 

 

 

Steve

[NYLIBUD]

Idk if this is on the same subject.My father,now 86 has slowly been going (down hill,dementia,memory wise).We began noticing changes as early as a year or two ago.He was forgetting little things at first.He remembered names of close relatives,but other simple things,such as things around the house,where to put things away,etc,was beginning to show signs of forgetfulness.My family decided the best thing was to keep his mind as busy as we could.He was doing a lot of trivia,puzzles,etc,on his phone.He also always liked building any type of military models.And he was great at it.His memory began to “rebound”,for lack of a better word a little.Then with in one week,he lost his brother to cancer,and his long time girlfriend dumped him,that bi#%@*..She said he was forgetting things,such as plans and get togethers,and she couldn’t deal with him any longer.Meanwhile,they have known each other since they were kids growing up in the The Bronx..Well then over the last 6,7 months,he stopped pretty much all activities on his phone,stopped building models,and just kind of went into a sort of depressed fog.We tried like crazy to do whatever we could do to keep his mind active,but he just sort of gave up.Now he spends most of his days in bed sleeping for hours.And so the damage has been done.His memory,and cognitive thinking has suffered a great deal.I live with him after my mother passed away.I’am pretty much his only care giver,and dam is it hard.I have to remind him to bath,and eat,etc.Its so hard watching him just melt into an old man that just wants to die,and I’m sure i’ll be the one who finds him passed away in his bed.I mean he told me,he really wants to just go quietly and peacefully in his sleep.A word of advice,the most important thing to do,is be patient,and try to keep the persons mind as active as possible.I guess the only thing i can say,is that my father has given up.Dementia is a horrible condition to be in and to witness.I pray everyday that when I check on him when he’s in his bed,that he answers me,and he’s not gone.Hes always been there for everyone,and he’s always been my best friend.Good luck to all those who are suffering from this awful condition.?

[stitchdup]

12 minutes ago, NYLIBUD said:

Idk if this is on the same subject.My father,now 86 has slowly been going (down hill,dementia,memory wise).We began noticing changes as early as a year or two ago.He was forgetting little things at first.He remembered names of close relatives,but other simple things,such as things around the house,where to put things away,etc,was beginning to show signs of forgetfulness.My family decided the best thing was to keep his mind as busy as we could.He was doing a lot of trivia,puzzles,etc,on his phone.He also always liked building any type of military models.And he was great at it.His memory began to “rebound”,for lack of a better word a little.Then with in one week,he lost his brother to cancer,and his long time girlfriend dumped him,that bi#%@*..She said he was forgetting things,such as plans and get togethers,and she couldn’t deal with him any longer.Meanwhile,they have known each other since they were kids growing up in the The Bronx..Well then over the last 6,7 months,he stopped pretty much all activities on his phone,stopped building models,and just kind of went into a sort of depressed fog.We tried like crazy to do whatever we could do to keep his mind active,but he just sort of gave up.Now he spends most of his days in bed sleeping for hours.And so the damage has been done.His memory,and cognitive thinking has suffered a great deal.I live with him after my mother passed away.I’am pretty much his only care giver,and dam is it hard.I have to remind him to bath,and eat,etc.Its so hard watching him just melt into an old man that just wants to die,and I’m sure i’ll be the one who finds him passed away in his bed.I mean he told me,he really wants to just go quietly and peacefully in his sleep.A word of advice,the most important thing to do,is be patient,and try to keep the persons mind as active as possible.I guess the only thing i can say,is that my father has given up.Dementia is a horrible condition to be in and to witness.I pray everyday that when I check on him when he’s in his bed,that he answers me,and he’s not gone.Hes always been there for everyone,and he’s always been my best friend.Good luck to all those who are suffering from this awful condition.?

when it gets to this stage, all you can do is be there for him. stay strong my friend and if you want to vent/rant feel free to message me

[Oldriginal86]

On 8/14/2024 at 2:47 PM, stitchdup said:

when it gets to this stage, all you can do is be there for him. stay strong my friend and if you want to vent/rant feel free to message me

Well said. Hang in there Ron.

[Brian Austin]

Timely video.  Model trains and mental health.

Skip to just before the 6 min mark