Benefits of ESL for Adults and the Aging
(English as a Second Language)
The benefits of ESL are also evident in older populations. As people age, they lose the ability to perform complex tasks. The brain function needed to plan, schedule and multitask appears to diminish, and older people are less able to adapt to unfamiliar circumstances. A 2013 Journal of Neuroscience study reported that “lifelong bilingualism attenuates age-related declines in perceptual task switching.” Moreover, according to researcher Brian Gold, the study found that “bilingual seniors use their brains more efficiently than monolingual seniors.”
Another exciting discovery in recent studies indicates that bilingualism may delay the onset of Alzheimer’s. While working with monolinguals and bilinguals at York University in Toronto, psycholinguist Ellen Bialystok discovered that “bilinguals showed symptoms of Alzheimer’s some four to five years after monolinguals with the same disease pathology.”
Another exciting discovery in recent studies indicates that bilingualism may delay the onset of Alzheimer’s. While working with monolinguals and bilinguals at York University in Toronto, psycholinguist Ellen Bialystok discovered that “bilinguals showed symptoms of Alzheimer’s some four to five years after monolinguals with the same disease pathology.”