SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITIES - MORE FUN THAN YOU THINK!

Brain Fitness classes took an interesting turn as we moved into Senior Living facilities.  The classes are larger, giving me the challenge to find activities that benefit a large group, as many as 18 at a time.  The sessions are ongoing as opposed to running an 8-week cycle as we've done at PCC and community centers.  The residents are ready and eager to exercise their brains with the very real hope of improving memory and processing cognitive skills.

Among the many activities we've added, we have an activity to practice skills to recall names.  We use 8x10" pictures of various people with interesting names and histories.  Identifying a name with a face is the first step in later recalling the name of someone you meet.  For instance, Joe is an on-screen news reporter.  We always start by shaking hands with the face in the picture and saying our names.  Eye-to-eye contact is important.  Joe is quite handsome with a tanned face.  Someone suggested he looked like a "cup of Joe".  Sure enough, they were able to recall his name a week later.   Another face that could only be described as a bit of a character with glasses set on the tip of his nose and a beret, was Larry.  Looney Larry they named him.  A little more effort went into recalling his name but they did remember that he played bit parts in the local theater in his spare time.

Other activities include memory retrieval from a random list of words, mnemonics to remember lists, the Loci method to plan a Clown Wedding, and various processing activities that include yelling "quack", and "goal", and "far out"!

They love it, it's fun and gets the job done at the same time.  Sometimes they are "brain tired" at the end of our hour together so we do an activity called "Chopsticks"to relax.  I'll explain that one later.

As you can see, this is work that I love and never tire of doing.  Right now, I balance working with the care of my 98 year old mother who lives at home with me.  Thankfully, I have several excellent caregivers who stay with her so I am able to continue this important work of Brain Fitness for Seniors.

Quick Long Term Memory Retrieval

One of the many exercises we do in class involves retrieving memories.  Several years ago, I bought my 96 year-old mother a digital picture frame.  I loaded it with approximately 1200 pictures that I had collected and scanned over the years - pictures ranging from her childhood to the present: children, grandchildren, husband, vacations, ancestors, etc.

She was very excited to see and comment on each and every picture on the slideshow.  I set the frame on "random" with a 10 second delay for each picture.  She excitedly tapped her finger on the picture that came up and started to recall the event that prompted the photograph.  After 10 seconds and without warning, the next photo would take its place.  Because the frame was set on random, she could possibly go from 1938 to 2010 - quickly with no preparation for what came next.

I watched her brain shift quickly as she became engrossed in each picture and then observed her "switch gears" to mentally adjust to the new picture.  It was then that I became excited myself at what I could see as a new activity for my class.

I explained the new activity to my class.  After making a random list, I told them I would give them, individually, one of the words as a memory cue.  It could possibly be:  convertible, bonfire, cave, circus, or anything I could dream up!  I usually have 30 words prepared or enough to go around the class 3 times.  Next, using my stopwatch set at 10 seconds, I asked tem to give me an actual memory consisting of a place, other people in the memory, and then place it in time.  No reminiscing allowed (that's the hard part)!  After 10 seconds, I said "stop" and then moved onto the next person.

At first, it was a little difficult for them to come up with the answer so quickly.  Sometimes they had to pass and wait for their turn to come around again. By not allowing them to reminisce, they had to quickly retrieve the memory.  The tendency was to tell me about the cue word, e.g, "I really like the circus" or to start telling a longer story.  However, once everyone was on board for the 10 second rule, it became fun to bring up memories and share them quickly.

The goal of this activity is to exercise quick memory retrieval, something many seniors struggle with.  In terms of Brain Fitness, this activity is a keeper!

© Carres Brain Fitness 2012

BODY WORLDS & THE BRAIN - OMSI

Today, thanks to a generous gift from a friend, I went to see Gunther von Hagen's BODY WORLDS & THE BRAIN exhibit at OMSI in Portland (Oregon).  My profound reaction to what I saw and learned about the human body and the brain was overwhelming.  Quoting from the article on the OMSI webpage, "This special review of the brain interjects encyclopedic and clinical information with compelling views of the actual physical brain from conception to old age, new insights from RI and Plastination technology, and the developing canon of findings in neuroscience."

The body is shown in a variety of ranges of motion from playing baseball to partners skating on ice.  Musculature, internal organs, and skeletal construction are visible as layer by layer is exposed.  The brain itself is the core topic of this exhibit.  "We're now at the beginning of an era where it's possible for the first time to understand the brain and by so doing understand ourselves."  Quote by UC San Diego neuroscientist, Dr. William Mobley.

We live in a time of tremendous breakthroughs in the area of neuroscience.  We now know that even as the body ages, at the same time it is possible to continue to grow the brain (create new neurons) with exercise, both physical and mental.

I'm proud to work in a field that gives people hope through various programs, both online and hands on in classes, giving them the means to maintain mental acuity into their later years.  I applaud those seniors who embrace these opportunities.  I encourage everyone to attend this exhibit and learn more about that miracles we call our bodies and our brains.

OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry) Portland, Oregon
Look for this exhibit in your city as it travels across the country
www.omsi.edu

Summer is here!  Brain Fitness is moving right along with two summer classes at the Elsie Stuhr Center in Beaverton.  We have lots of fun activities including learning to count in foreign languages and "sdrow sdrawkcab".  Be sure to sign up for Fall classes.  Check out the "NIA" video on this website of another class offered at Elsie Stuhr Center, taught by Kaycheri Rappaport.  The movements in the NIA exercises are in keeping with cross-body movements and more that we learn in Brain Fitness classes.  Kaycheri and I hope to work together in future classes.

Spring Term is starting at all locations.  Be sure to register soon - it's a great class.

Here are some recent comments from class members:

• "Brain Fitness classes have changed my life" Jill '11
• "You provide a wonderful service in a special way."  Judith '11
• "I recommend the course.  It is conducted by a highly dedicated and professional instructor."  Robert '11
• "It really stimulated my brain function and cognition in other situations."  Margaret '11

BOTH SIDES OF MY BRAIN?

BILATERALIZATION

Bilateralization is the ability to use both sides of the brain.  Although we cannot consciously tell our brain to use both sides, this unexpected occurrence happens as we age.  The aging brain uses more of itself.  Research shows that while young people process at a higher rate than older people, aging brains definitely compensate by becoming better at complex tasks and tasks that require wisdom and experience.

As the humans age, something we are not even aware of is happening; we begin to use more and more of our brains.  The ability of older brains to use different hemispheres or both at the same time has been referred to as “cross-indexing.”  The greater use of both hemispheres of the brain in middle age and beyond has been termed "HAROLD" for "hemispheric asymmetry reduction in older adults" by Roberto Cabeza, the researcher who conducted ground-breaking magnetic resonance imaging on the brains of adults of various ages.

COGNITIVE RESERVE

Research shows that those with dementia fare much better if they have a higher level of education.  Education can build cognitive reserves, possibly delaying the onset of dementia.  Cognitive reserve is a concept related to bilateralization. Research shows there is a link between lower levels of education to higher rates of Alzheimer's dementia.  Research has also demonstrated that some well-educated people continue to function at a high level, despite brain tissue that, after their deaths, was found to have the plaques and tangles associated with advanced Alzheimer's disease. Education helps many with Alzheimer's dementia to utilize the brain in more effective ways.

HOPE

Many senior community programs or community centers offer educational classes.  Portland Community Colleges offer a 100% tuition waiver for credit course audits (when space is available).  They also offer a 50% tuition waiver for non-credit courses.  You must be 62 or older. 

Brain Fitness classes are available at various locations in the community including the ones that Carres Brain Fitness is offering (see this Blog).  Other online brain fitness sites offer free games, paid memberships for more access to games, and/or purchase of a full spectrum brain fitness program.

Sources:

Gina Barrett Putt / online article

Klueger, J. Staying Sharp: The Surprising Power of the Aging Brain accessed October 30, 2010

McDermott, T. 101 Theory Drive: A Neuroscientist's Quest for Memory. New York: Pantheon Books, 2010.

Strauch, B. The Secret Life of the Grown-Up Brain: The Surprising Talents of the Middle-Aged Mind. New York: Viking, 2010.

Socialization

There are many brain fitness programs that are computer based, computer focused - but they leave out one of the most important elements for a "senior" brain fitness and wellness program, and that is socialization.  One of the men in my class told me recently that he felt the value of the brain fitness exercises in our class but the contact and relationships with other class members made the experience even more valuable.  Many of our class members play online brain games at a variety of websites in addition to coming to class.  I believe it is the combination of a twice weekly class, online brain games, and brain-focused card and board games at home played with friends, that challenge the brain's plasticity.

In a class of eight participants, with an age difference of sometimes twenty years, there is a wide span of cognitive abilities.  As we know, we all have strengths and challenges in each area of brain cognition: memory, visualization, processing of information, executive processing, etc.  During any given exercise we may be able to push hard for the fastest possible processing, or sometimes be patient with one who is going to take a little longer to get on board.

Class after class, I watch participants challenge each other and also work patiently with each other.  When they work in pairs, there is value being in the "trainer" position as well as the "student" position.

It isn't always about age.  There is an 87 year old in my class who is sharp and meets every challenge.  Sometimes younger participants have had physical problems that make the activities they're doing a different kind of challenge.  As a facilitator and trainer, I push them to their cognitive limits.  Then I watch them be good to each other - patient and caring.

They share books.  They email each other with websites and articles about brain fitness.  They are often taking other classes together: exercise classes, writing personal history, playing bridge, keyboard lessons, etc.  These are classes that add to and enhance the exercises they are doing in their brain fitness class.  The absolute ideal for wellness is physical and brain fitness, which includes classes that energize brain activity.  Passive activities like crosswords and Soduku are not enough.  So...

GET MOVING!  Find your local senior community center and get busy.

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