Avoiding dementia

Re: “Herald editorials keep him sharp,” Letter, Dec. 30.

Don McLaren, I salute you, partly for your taste in editorials, but mostly for the courage you have shown in coping with primary lateral sclerosis. No doubt, your mental gymnastics regimen helps in avoiding dementia. I am only 71 and I sometimes halfjokingly say “the old grey matter ain’t what it used to be,” at least when it comes to my short-term memory.

Doctors agree that physical and mental exercise is essential to our well-being, and that is true for all ages. It can be enjoyable, as McLaren points out. May we always be able to relish the experience of reading our morning newspaper while drinking coffee (and not have to worry about spilling it on some electronic gadget).