BRAIN PLAYaka “MENTAL AEROBICS”

Kay Paggi972.839.0065

www.kaypaggi.com

•Licensed Professional Counselor•National Certified Gerontological Counselor•Care Manager, Certified

NEW versus OLD

• In counseling with older adults I frequentlymeet with an elder who believes that becausehe/she has crossed some magical birthday,her ability to reason has declined. This is abias commonly found in American societycalled ‘ageism’. Given a choice in the grocerybetween a box marked ‘new’ and itscounterpart, most of us will take the new one,assuming that it is better. In our fairy talesand Disney movies, the witch is always meanand ugly and old. Television emphasizesyouth and physical strength and beauty, andshow elders as needing denture fixative andhemmorroid cream. The result is elders biasedagainst themselves!

The BRAIN can continue togrow new connections

• Contrary to this cultural myth, Researchers onaging have found that the ability to think andremain mentally competent does not declinewith age.

• Marian Diamond, PhD. Is professor of anatomyat Berkeley and well known researcher of brain.She is one of the few scientists to be allowed tostudy the tissue from Albert Einstein’s brain.She has found that the human cortex, whichhandles higher mental functions, can decreaseOR increase in size at any age depending onthe level of stimulation. She writes that a brainin an enriched environment can generate newdendrites and make new connections with otherbrain cells. Thus the cortex grows or shrinksaccording to its use.

Hermione, my rat

Rat Studies

• Dennis Selkoe is the director of theCenter for Neurologic Diseases andprofessor of neuroscience atHarvard Medical school. He foundthat brain scans of healthy people intheir 80’s show as much activity asthose of people in their 20’s.Studies done on rats in the early90’s show that those who live in astimulating environment have morecomplex branching in their brainsthan rats who live in dullenvironments.

Impaired brainfunction is dueto DISUSEnot AGE

John Morris was a professor ofneurology at WashingtonUniversity who led a 16 yearstudy of people ages 75-91. Hefound that if brain functiondoes become impaired in laterlife, it is due to disease, notage.

LEARN SOMETHING NEW

The MacArthur FoundationNetwork on Successful Aging hasbeen studying successful agingnationally. Among their findings isthat people who challengethemselves mentally stimulate theneurons in their brains. Thesepeople may be able to toleratemore damage to the brain beforeit shows.

COGNITIVE DECLINE IS UP TO YOU

These studiesindicate that wehave a greatdeal morecontrol over howwe age thanpreviouslyassumed.

RETIREMENTIS NOTHEALTHYFOR

YOURBRAIN

What does occur to many elders is alack of opportunity to continue to usetheir brainpower. Once retired, it’seasy to stop thinking. No longer haveto make workday decisions, andpopular activities such as televisionand bingo discourage mentalexercise.

Educational Gerontology 1999

• Mental Aerobics is a program designed toenhance the self-esteem & cognitivefunctioning of older adults in a context ofgroup sessions where the emphasis is onhaving fun, cooperative sharing of ideas,and the development of solutions tochallenging problems. Mental Aerobicsconsists of puzzles, logic matrixes, mathand word games to be solved. Seniors areencouraged to believe in their continuingability to problem solve by their ownsuccessful performances.

2003-2004 Study

• THE IMPACT OF MENTAL AEROBICS TRAININGON THE COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE ANDCOGNITIVE SELF EFFICACY OF OLDER ADULTS.

• Bert Hayslip, Jr., Ph.D, University of North Texas

• Kay Paggi, M.Ed., LPC, Private Practice

• Melissa L. Ward, B.A.

• These findings suggest that Mental Aerobics can beeffectively used to enhance older adults’ views of theirskills, critical to efforts to maintain one’s cognitivefunctioning into later life.

Let’s Play with your Brain

• Mental Aerobics is intended topromote continued intellectual activity.You are not supposed to answer everyquestion correctly. In fact, you are notsupposed to answer every question oreven to understand them all. You aresupposed to stretch your mentalmuscles. I often use the metaphor ofyour brain as a muscle which must beexercised to stay in shape. Flabbyminds are no fun!

Words and Phrases with ‘LINE”

WORDS AND PHRASES WITH ‘LINE‘LINE• -up• -dance• -item veto• -man• -of sight• -of thought

BychorusclothesCoastCountyDatedottedeconoline

(gas?)

FaultFelineFrontfrostgashairhardHeadhemhold That L !hotIn____ (skates)Kevin KlineLifelinenline-o-typelinerLinusLunch

BaseblankbloodblueBottommainmalignMason-DixonmidlineNightL__OffOnOutpartypipePlumbpowerpunch

railreclineredShipshoreSkySoupstreamtantimetoe the __treeUnderwaistwater

How much money can youhave in change and yet beable to make correctchange for a dollar?

TREMENDOUS

• How many words can bemade using the letters in

tremendous?

How well do you read?

• MR DUCKS

• MR KNOT

• O S A R

• CM WANGS

• LIB

• MR DUCKS

ANN OWED TWO THE SPELLING CHECKER

Eye have a spelling checkerIt came with my Pea SeaIt plane lee marks four my revueMiss steaks aye can knot sea.Eye ran this poem threw it,Your sure reel glad two no.Its vary polished in it's weighMy checker tolled me sew.A checker is a bless sing,It freeze yew lodes of thyme.it helps me right awl stiles two

read,And aides me when aye rime.Each frays come posed up on my

screenEye trussed too bee a jouleThe checker pour o'er every

wordTo cheque sum spelling rule.

OXYMORONS

ActDressEvenFarewellFlatFreshNumbOriginalRandomSameScience

BustedCopyDifferenceFeelingFictionFrozenNaturalOddsOrderPantsReception

BIRTHDAY FINDER

1. Write the number of the month inwhich you were born.

2. Multiply by 4.

3. Add 13.

4. Multiply by 25.

5. Subtract 200.

6. Add the day of the month you wereborn.

7. Multiply by 2.

8. Subtract 40.

9. Multiply by 50.

10. Add the last 2 digits of the year youwere born.

11. Subtract 10,500.