In the 21st century second language acquisition has become a necessity, and with the growing number of companies demanding it as a basic requirement, many educational institutes have resorted to integrating it into the school curriculum. In addition to this the English language which is the number one most acquired language after an individual's L1 (mother tongue) comes with its own advantages in relation to understanding international entertainment including music, and of course, it allows individuals to approach modern technology such as the computer with ease. However is it possible that acquiring a second language could improve our health by delaying the much feared Alzheimer's and Dementia and in fact some scientists have come to the conclusion that it does.
Alzheimer's disease is one of the most common forms of dementia. The term 'dementia' describes a set of symptoms which can include loss of memory, mood changes, and problems with communication and reasoning . This is primarily a result of certain sections of the brain being damaged. Alzheimer's is generally a progressive disease, and symptoms develop in intensity over time. Those in the intermediate stage of Alzheimer's will come to experience memory loss to the degree, that as a result relatives and family become unidentifiable, this can be extremely frustrating for both the sufferer and family members.
Why people with dementia experience problems with communication and memory is due to the changing structure of the brain Figure 1 (refer to appendix). As you can see here the surface area of the brain that has severe Alzheimer's is significantly less, which as a consequence implies that certain brain activities that were once functioning such as memory no longer do, or at least at a rate.
From the beginning those who develop Alzheimer's were told that there is no current medical solution for it, and that the only hope one has is to was to wait for some sort of medical solution that could possibly appear in the future.
