With no exception, all of us age. Now, why is "aging" such
a bad word? What about growing? and lifelong development?
If you are a caregiver, you know this process is not always
easy, but the good news from neuroscience these days is
that there is much each of us can do.
1- Change: We should talk more about change than about
decline, as we discussed recently with Dr. Elkhonon
Goldberg, who wrote his great book The Wisdom Paradox
precisely on this point.
2- Improvement: Some skills improve as we age-In our brain
fitness classes, we typically explain how some areas
typically improve as we age, such as self-regulation,
emotional functioning and Wisdom (which means moving from
Problem solving to Pattern recognition). For example, as a
lawyer accumulates more cases under his/ her belt, he or
she develops an automatic "intuition" for solutions and
strategies. As long as the environment doesn't change too
rapidly, this growing wisdom is very valuable.
3- Decline: ...whereas, yes, others typically decline:
effortful problem-solving for novel situations, processing
speed, working memory, attention and mental imagery. In
other words, the capacity to learn and adapt to new
environments.
4- Let's worry less: Now, there is a key difference between
not remembering where I put my car keys today...which
happens to all when we are too absorbed in something else
and is not by itself a big deal...and not remembering why I
need keys to open my car. Sometimes we tend to worry too
much.
5- Lifestyle: Studies have shown a tremendous variability
in how well people age and how, to a large extent, our
actions influence the rate of improvement and/ or decline.
Our awareness that "it's not all doom and gloom" and that
there's much we can do is very important.
6- Brain Reserve: If we want to maximize our chances of
healthy aging, we should focus on 4 main "brain health"
pillars: brain exercise, physical exercise, stress
management and a balanced diet. And the earlier the better
to build a Brain Reserve that may delay Alzheimer's related
symptoms-studies have shown a risk reduction of up to 38%
thanks to these lifestyle habits!.
7- Brain Exercise: In terms of brain exercise, we must
ensure we engage with activities that provide us novelty,
variety and constant challenge to exercise and cross-train
our "mental muscles" (cognitive and emotional skills). This
is our best "brain food".
8- Computer-based programs: Computer-based brain exercise
programs are great vehicles or tools to help us with our
stress management and mental stimulation needs, as
compliments to other activities in our daily lives. This is
why you are reading more about the Brain Fitness movement
these days, grounded on the research behind adult
neuroplasticity (how the brain can rewire itself).
9- Retirement?: baby boomers (and many healthy adults over
62!) want to remain active and mentally stimulated beyond
arbitrary retirement ages. Why accept arbitrary age limits?
10- Attitude: no matter where we are or what we do, how we
react to it makes a big difference. Let's focus on today
and tomorrow, not yesterday. Let's focus on what we can do
to improve. Let's continually exercise our brains.
----------------------------------------------------
Alvaro Fernandez is the CEO and Co-Founder of SharpBrains,
which provides the latest science-based information for
Brain Training and Memory Improvement, and has been
recognized by Scientific American Mind, CBS, Forbes, and
more. Alvaro holds MA in Education and MBA from Stanford
University, and teaches The Science of Brain Health at
UC-Berkeley Lifelong Learning Institute. Learn more at
http://www.sharpbrains.com/
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