Peace ofMind
p Plan, Every Step of the Way
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Meet Rose
Rose had a special relationship
with her soon-to-be-married
great-niece. Attending the
wedding was on her bucket
list but she was afraid if
she went she would be a
burden to her family. That’s
when Professional Parent
Care stepped in to ensure
Rose could watch her great-
Rose Cohen
niece walk down the aisle. A
with Sandy Linden
personal companion from PPC
accompanied Rose on the plane, checked her into her
hotel and went to the wedding with her. The family got to
enjoy Rose’s presence without worry — knowing she was
in good hands with her own ‘personal valet.’ Rose had a
great time celebrating the wedding.
“At Professional Parent Care, we want to enhance the lives
of our clients,” said President Sandy Linden. “We’ll go
above and beyond to help our clients live their lives to the
fullest while providing the best care. That’s what we do.”
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We Understand...
It’s All about Quality of Life, Dignity and Family Peace of Mind
Servicing Metro-Detroit families since 1977
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68 January 28 • 2016
Participants learn
about the course’s
structure.
Mind University
A fitness program to boost mental
energy, memory and mood.
Vivian Henoch | Special to the Jewish News
A
re you forgetful? And, if so,
does it worry you … normally?
Then use your head.
Scientists are just starting to reveal
the mysteries of the world inside your
head. No one knows for sure, but at lat-
est “count,” the human brain contains an
estimated 86 to 100 billion neurons (nerve
cells). Each is linked to so many others
that the entire network creates trillions of
connections, making your brain the most
complicated object known in the universe.
And did you know those neurons have
the capability of living more than 100
years, creating new pathways to learning
and memory? Essentially, your brain is
a lifelong learner. Think of your brain as
your “mental muscle,” never resting, ever
churning through life’s experiences to cre-
ate new memories — the stuff of which
makes you uniquely you.
To keep those neurons and connections
sharp, the brain craves regular exercise —
yes, exercise that energizes, challenges and
heals both the body and the mind.
THINK MIND AEROBICS
Ready to put your brain power to the test?
Welcome to Mind Aerobics — a break-
through, science-based cognitive fitness
program recently launched by Jewish
Family Service (JFS) in partnership with
JVS to help older adults maintain and
even improve cognitive function.
Conceived as a component of a com-
munity wellness initiative known as Mind
University (or Mind U), Mind Aerobics
is a proprietary suite of mental fitness
exercises developed by the New England
Cognitive Center (NECC), a nonprofit
organization based in Connecticut. The
program works to combine neuroscience
with sound educational principles to cre-
ate effective interventions with the poten-
tial to stem the tide of dementia, depres-
sion and other illnesses in older adults.
JFS and JVS are the first and only agen-
cies outside the East Coast to offer Mind
Aerobics to the public. The two instructors
trained and certified to run the sessions
for the community are Angela Popoff,
LMSW, Mind U Coordinator at JFS, and
Stacey Molinaro, LMSW, at JVS.
“We used to think that only children
could develop new stem cells in the brain,”
Popoff says. “While a host of disorders
and illnesses can affect an ‘aging’ brain,
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www.ProfessionalParentCare.com
John Hardwick
health & wellness »
2021390
current research now shows us that even
older adults can generate new stem cells.”
Molinaro adds, “That’s where Mind
Aerobics comes in. It engages all areas of
the brain, putting the new cells to work.”
The key to Mind Aerobics is the concept
of novelty; exposing one’s brain to new
and different activities outside one’s daily
routine. That novelty comes in the form of
a series of activities designed to stimulate
six key functions of the brain:
• Reaction time: targeting speed,
accuracy and automatic responses.
• Vis ual/spatial perception: assessing
one’s perspective and relationship to his or
her environment.
• Attention and concentration:
improving the ability to focus which
enhances memory.
• Memory: focused on improving the
ability to move information through the
memory network, from short-term to
long-term.
• Language: targeting word fluency,
retrieval and appropriate usage.
• Problem solving: more abstract activi-
ties to understand complex scenarios and
to formulate solutions.
Designed for fun in a relaxed, social
setting, Mind Aerobics classes are orga-
nized by cognitive level and participants
are grouped into classes based on their
cognitive function: normal cognition, mild
decline, early or mid-stages of dementia.
Each level has 24 sessions that gradually
increase in challenges over the course of
12 weeks.
The Mind Wellness initiative, includ-
ing the Mind Aerobics program was
launched largely as a result of a grant from
the Jewish Fund, and will kick-start a full
offering of classes, resources, individual
consultations and assessment services to
promote lifestyle choices that can help
keep older adults healthier as they age.
*
This story first appeared on MyJewishDetroit.org,
where Vivian Henoch is editor.
details
To learn more about Mind
University and Mind Aerobics,
including program fees, call the
Jewish Family Service Resource
Center at (248) 592-2313.