Age-Proofing Your Brain – Mental Exercise, 1

Three of the most important challenges many people face as they grow older involve their physical health, balance and coordination, and cognition or thinking ability. And of the three, cognition—more specifically cognitive decline in thinking ability—is the biggest concern for some. Benign Senescence is the term for a type of age-related forgetfulness. While this phenomenon is commonly observed, it is by no means universal. You may be able to retard its development, if not completely prevent it. For many people, taking positive action to keep the brain challenged (including meditation, physical activity, and brain stimulation) may moderate this. Here are three True or False statements.

• The human brain is just as capable of ‘learning’ in the second half of life as in the first half

• In people who are physically healthy, the brain’s learning capability generally does not likely change a great deal as they age 

• While it may take a bit longer to learn something in later life, the chances of recalling it are likely almost as good as when you were younger

 All true! More tomorrow.