More than 33,000 residents over the age of 65 in Bexar County are currently living with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, a number that experts predict will triple in the next decade.

San Antonio researchers are using data dating back to 1948 to discover a possible key to predicting dementia five to 10 years before symptoms appear.

Those who volunteered several times per week had the highest levels of executive function. The study also found better memory and executive function among those who volunteered.

These past few years are being called a major tipping point in Alzheimer's research. A second treatment has now been approved that targets the underlying cause of Alzheimer's, not just the symptoms.

When it comes to the highest prevalence of Alzheimer's and dementia across the state Bexar county comes in seventh. This brand new information comes from the Alzheimer's Association, in the first ever report that lists numbers by county instead of by state.

The World Health Organization reports that 55 million people across the globe have dementia. With the aging population set to double in the next 20 years, experts know treatment breakthroughs are necessary.

Here's some tips on what you can do now to stay mentally sharp in your 80s, 90s, and beyond.

A new trial is under way to see whether cognitive changes that may lead to dementia down the road could be detected through driving years earlier.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Worldwide, about 50 million people have dementia, a condition that’s characterized by a decline in memory, thinking, behavior, and the ability to perform everyday tasks. Could the drugs you take put you at risk for dementia? In a review of 21 studies, scientists found a 46 percent increase risk for dementia if you take anticholinergics drugs for three months or longer. Some examples include: antidepressants, such as Paxil, Parkinson’s drugs, anti-psychotic meds like clozapine, urinary bladder relaxers like enablex, some anti-nausea drugs, asthma meds, muscle relaxants, antihistamines -- including Benadryl --, and anti-seizure drugs. Not all anticholinergics are linked to an increased dementia risk, but the ones that affect primarily the brain are of greatest concern.

ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) – November is National Alzheimer’s Disease Month. While getting diagnosed early on can offer a better outcome, it’s often hard to recognize the signs. Alzheimer’s disease robs people of their memories, their abilities, and their personalities. Recognizing the red flags early on may help you get better care. One of the most obvious signs is memory loss, but it’s forgetfulness that disrupts daily life, such as repeatedly forgetting important events or asking questions again and again.

A new study found that repetitive negative thinking in later life was linked to cognitive decline and greater deposits of two harmful proteins responsible for Alzheimer's disease. Negative thinking behaviors such as rumination about the past and worry about the future were measured in over 350 people over the age of 55 over a two-year period. "Taken alongside other studies, which link depression and anxiety with dementia risk, we expect that chronic negative thinking patterns over a long period of time could increase the risk of dementia," Marchant said. The researchers suggest that mental training practices such as meditation might help promoting positive thinking while reducing negative thoughts, and they plan future studies to test their hypothesis. That's probably because optimists tend to have better health habits, said cardiologist Dr. Alan Rozanski, a professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, who studies optimism's health impacts.