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Brain Fitness for Seniors

​Mark Miller of www.RetirementRevised.com writes:

If you're over 50, you need exercise to stay fit--no disputing that. But what are you doing to keep your brain lean and mean?
The concept of brain fitness has caught fire lately, with much of the attention focused on a new breed of software programs and games that claim to help older people maintain mental acuity and blunt the cognitive decline associated with aging.

Nancy Merz Nordstrom is a bit of a skeptic. An expert on lifelong learning, she agrees that a challenged, stimulated brain is key to vibrancy in later life. She just prefers a real-world approach to the virtual.

"You can use mind software on your own--I don't have any problem with it," Merz Nordstrom says. "It's just that you also need to get out of the house and stay active."

Merz Nordstrom would be the first to admit that she's biased on this topic; she's the director of the Elderhostel Institute Network, an association whose members include many of the Lifelong Learning Institutes around the country that run adult education programs.

She's also the author of a well-regarded book on the benefits of adult learning, Learning Later, Living Greater: The Secret for Making the Most of Your After-50 Years. The book is a great resource guide to the range of adult learning options and a catalyst for getting started.

"It's as simple as 'use it or lose it,'" Nordstrom says. "If we want to do everything possible to keep our whole being alert, vibrant and connected as we age, we have to continue to challenge ourselves."

A growing body of brain research backs her up on this point. Some of the findings--detailed in Merz Nordstrom's book--suggest that the brain's physical anatomy responds to learning by regenerating brain cells. The benefits include enhanced mental alertness, thought processes, response times and reflexes.

“When you look at the benefits gained from keeping your mind sharp, it's incredible," Merz Nordstrom says. "Lifelong learning is like a health club for your brain."

Americans appear to be getting the message. An AARP study forecast that more than 95 percent of Americans over age 50 will participate in learning activities of one type or another during their lifetimes. And another report, by a research arm of the U.S. Department of Education, showed that the number of older adults returning to the classroom more than doubled during the 1990s.
What are all those people studying?

Some are pursuing degrees or doing work-related study. But Merz Nordstrom focuses on the large numbers that are there for personal enrichment--the sheer joy of learning.

"What we find is that people want to study the things they never had time for before," Merz Nordstrom says. "If their college years were focused on a career, now they want to study liberal arts, or an artistic endeavor. The humanities are very big, especially history."
And not all that learning is going on in classrooms. Merz Nordstrom devotes substantial sections of her book to educational travel (after all, she works for Elderhostel) and learning-oriented community service opportunities.

"For most people, it will just be a question of how involved, how focused?" she says. "How big a part of your life do you want to make this?"

If you'd like to learn more, check out a local Lifelong Learning Institute Most--but not all--are run under the auspices of a college or university. Merz-Nordstrom recommends calling your local college or university to see if continuing education programs are offered for older adults.

Other good places to start:
  • Institutes for Learning in Retirement. These programs are usually are run by participants, who develop the curriculum, and teach the classes. More information is available at the Elderhostel site.
  • Your public library. Many have established resource centers for researching learning opportunities of all types.

​6 Classic Mind Games That Help In Keeping a Healthy Memory

As people age, exercising the brain to stay fresh and alert is just as important as physical exercise. Brain games are a fun way to stay sharp as one ages and are a great way to encourage families to come together and support one another. Brain games played with family members or friends are a great way to strengthen cognitive skills and improve memory. 
Here are a few classic games you can choose from.
  1. Chess – Chess is well known for its ability to teach people how to solve problems and stay a few steps ahead cognitively. To play, each person must try to get Checkmate. To do this requires forward thinking and planning. It also requires problem-solving skills. Playing chess must be done in pairs so seniors can spend time together with their friends and family as they work to sharpen their senses.
  2. Crossword Puzzles – Crossword puzzles give clues about a specific word. Players must then determine what the word is and fit it in exactly with their puzzle. For seniors, thinking carefully about word meanings, abbreviations and specific names or places can help keep the brain sharp. Memory improves because the brain is constantly working to try to come up with words that were once easy to grab on to, sharpening the brain.
  3. Sudoku – Sudoku is similar to a Crossword puzzle but involves number patterns instead of words and clues. In this puzzle, seniors can put together strings of numbers where no two numbers are in the same horizontal or vertical lines, and also where no two numbers repeat in the same box. This game requires seeing the bigger picture, as well as the smaller picture making it ideal for keeping senior brains sharp.
  4. Boggle – In this game, players must identify words from a group of letters. This requires seniors to notice patterns and find words that exist in their daily vocabulary. The game is timed to push fast thinking, which can help improve a senior’s ability to find answers and solve problems quickly.
  5. Concentration – Perhaps there is no better memory game than Concentration. This game requires that players identify two of the same picture, word or number after memorizing a figure of numbers at the beginning of the game. When playing this game, seniors must have exceptional memory skills to remember where each piece is. The more seniors play, the sharper their memory may become.
  6. Entangled Pieces  - Whether looking at entangled pieces or shapes on a piece of paper or in a physical sense through metal intertwined figures, trying to detangle a complex mess of shapes requires a senior to work hard at navigating shapes and patterns. When a senior focuses on this for an extended period of time, their memory and cognitive function improves.
This information provided by Krisca Te who works with Open Colleges, Australia's leading provider of TAFE courses equivalent and aged care training.

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