Cognitive stimulation is vital for everyone, ProJo

For most people today, the mind is so weary from information overload that forgetfulness is common. For others, memory decline is a frightening reality. Experts agree that it is important to promote cognitive stimulation as we age. One of the valuable points made regarding our brains and how we use them was voiced by Dr. Toni P. Miles, at the Gerontological Society of America conference in mid-November. “Our brains are composed of muscle fiber. And we all know that muscles improve with use,” she said, adding, “It is vital to your brain’s health that it engage in strength and conditioning that come through cognitive stimulation.”
The words of Miles, director of the Institute on Gerontology at the University of Georgia’s College of Public Health, are particularly poignant given a British Medical Journal report this year that memory loss associated with Alzheimer’s may be detectable as early as age 45.
For middle-aged people concerned about brain function, physical exercise is a known cognitive enhancer. But it is given an extra boost when computerized cognitive games are added. The American Journal of Preventive Medicine in February reported clinical trial results on what is being called “exergaming,” in which stationary cycling incorporates video scenery and competitors. The cognitive benefit of this combination is said to exceed that of cycling alone.
We all have the option of exercising our minds, whether we choose online brain training games — computerized exercises that allow administration of activities that challenge multiple cognitive faculties — or the now-debated value of crossword puzzles. However, a concern expressed by many professionals is how little exercise and stimulation residents receive in nursing care facilities.
How often do families have the time to determine if care facilities provide participatory and engaging activities, have exercise programs even for people who use wheelchairs, offer well-stocked libraries of photograph books to stimulate discussion, have an understanding of guidelines for reminiscence therapy, and are also culturally sensitive?
Dr. James M. Ellison is associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and clinical director of the Geriatric Psychiatry Program at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass. In talking with him earlier, he said: “Families need to know that their loved ones are being cared for by a kind staff in an atmosphere that stimulates them emotionally, socially and cognitively. It’s important to remember that even with a diagnosis of dementia, people can find joy in appropriate surroundings.”
As for the future, Holly-Brown Borg, Ph.D., is a member of the biological sciences section of the GSA, a group devoted to understanding the processes of aging, “the causes and effects from the molecular to the whole organism level.” She said the enhanced understanding “will provide avenues to target age-related disease including Alzheimer’s, arthritis, cancer and diabetes.” Brown-Borg is the Chester Fritz distinguished professor at the University of North Dakota.
It will be interesting to see how research today is translated into public policies beneficial to healthy aging for the future.
As a 2012 MetLife  Foundation Journalist in Aging fellow, ‍Rita ‍Watson is covering the Gerontological Society of America/New America Media Conference in San Diego.