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24
August 30 • 2018
jn
once had a client who was known
for saying “aging isn’t for sissies.”
Boy, was he right! If we are lucky
enough to live a long, healthy life,
chances are we’ll face some sort of
age-related difficulties. Will it be my
hearing, my vision or my mobility
that changes first?
But just as we accept the fact that
normal aging brings
expected changes
in these areas, it
is also likely to
impact our cogni-
tion to some degree.
Normal changes
to cognition to be
expected include
word-finding dif-
Lynn Breuer
ficulties, decreased
focus and attention,
slower processing
speeds (that tip of
the tongue feeling)
and slight memory difficulties.
Why does this happen? Believe it
or not, our cognitive abilities peak
at around age 25. From birth to age
25, our brains process information
faster and faster each year. At age 25
we reach the top of the bell-shaped
curve and begin a very slow decline.
Most of us do not notice any changes
until closer to age 50, where the
cumulative changes start to be felt
when we can’t remember exactly
where we parked the car at the mall.
Or when a word is on the tip of our
tongue and instead of spitting it out
within seconds as we did in our 20s,
it takes a few minutes (or hours).
Signals are sent to and from our
brains at lightning speed one nerve at
a time. Each nerve passes the infor-
mation on to the next throughout
our bodies. We have so many neural
connections in our brains that the
analogy has been made to a complex
roadmap with well-worn highways,
mile roads and side streets. As we
age, some of these neural connec-
tions no longer work and the signal is
lost, not unlike when a road is closed
for construction and cars cannot get
through. This is the culprit behind
the cognitive changes we notice.
So, what can we do about this?
The best way to fight back is through
building brain resiliency. This is
possible due to our brain’s built-in
capacity to learn, adapt and change
throughout our lives, often referred
to as neuroplasticity. While this
won’t open the closed freeway-like
pathways in our brains, it can help us
increase our network of smaller neu-
ral connections, the mile roads and
side streets to complete our analogy.
How do we build brain resiliency?
While there are several lifestyle fac-
tors linked to brain health, includ-
ing good nutrition, regular exercise,
engaging in social activities, spiritual
engagement, sleep hygiene, stress
management and medication man-
agement, current research favors
mental stimulation, specifically cog-
nitive training, for playing a critical
role in building brain resiliency.
For cognitive training to be as
effective as possible, it needs to
strategically target specific cognitive
tasks in a predetermined order, with
increasing difficulty over time. And
improvements should translate into
real-world skills beyond the training
session.
One of the few research-based
programs on the market addressing
these issues is Mind Aerobics, devel-
oped by the New England Cognitive
Center. The specific skills challenged
in each class session include:
• Reaction time, which refers to
how quickly we react to the world
around us
• Visual/spatial skills, which are
critical to minimizing the risk of falls
as well as helping with our parking
skills
• Attention and concentration
• Memory, which is broken down
into not only short and long-term,
but also visual memory, auditory
memory and kinesthetic memory
• Language
• Problem-solving skills
The classes have added cognitive
punch by being held in a group set-
ting, so socialization is included in
the package, giving your brain quite a
workout … with no workout clothes
required! •
Lynn Breuer is director of Chronic Care
Management at Jewish Family Service.
Mind Aerobics classes are forming for fall. For more information,
contact Jodi Fernandez at (248) 592-2671 or jfernandez@jfsdetroit.org.