Category Archives: Seniors

Baby Boomers, Social Media, and Brain Fitness

It is no secret that Baby Boomers are great communicators. No matter what side of the political coin a Boomer falls on, being a young adult in the 1960s usually meant engaging in some sort of social activity or some form of civil discourse. With the propensity towards engagement in social interaction during this period, [...]

Are Older Brains Wiser?

Older brains may be wiser brains!

Does Your Brain Need to Go Back to School?

For most adolescents, teenagers, and young adults, January marks the end of winter break and a return to school. But what about those of us who are far removed from formal educational experiences? Could our brains benefit from schooling? Recently there was an article in the New York Times entitled How to Train the Aging Brain by Barbara Strauch. In the article, Barbara asks whether the aging brain is, “…a brain that should be in school?” In other words, are there activities that we can participate in that will help us improve our brain function as we age?

Diabetes and Memory Loss

Diabetes slows down memory loss in people with Alzheimer’s disease! Researchers conducted a 4-year study on 608 subjects with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease, out of which 63 people also had diabetes. Their memory and thinking skills were tested regularly. Those with diabetes turned out to have a slower rate of memory decline than those [...]

You CAN Teach an Old Dog New Tricks

You can teach an old dog new tricks, say UCLA scientists who found that middle-aged and older adults with little Internet experience were able to trigger key centers in the brain that control decision-making and complex reasoning after just one week of surfing the Web. The findings, presented Oct. 19 at the 2009 meeting of [...]

A Warning Sign of Something Worse?

Scientific American posted an interesting article that proposed to put a predictive time line on the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Read about it here. Whether it’s decision making, judgment, basic math, memory loss  or other brain function, it is increasingly important to stimulate all these cognitive capabilities on a regular basis. One is rarely used [...]

The Elephant in the Room

Alzheimer’s disease is the elephant in the room that is not effectively being planned for or dealt with by the Government or the Health Care industry. Consider just a few stats – By 2050, 115M people will be afflicted with the disease primarily due to the simple fact of living longer than earlier generations.  The [...]

Get Social For Your Brain Health

So you understand that maintaining a social network of friends is important to your cognitive health. Do you feel like your social life could use a boost? Try these tips for enhancing your social interactions and relationships: Call a friend or relative you haven’t talked to in a while Schedule a regular lunch or dinner [...]

Staying Sharp by Getting Social

brain decline has a profound impact on the life and relationships of people who develop it. “Being socially active, being an intellectually engaged individual, having recreational time, enjoying a good diet, lacking stress – these are all things that tend to help in avoiding dementia,” says Dr. Lawrence Whalley, author of The Aging Brain and [...]

Never Too Old To Compete

Last Saturday, August 1st, the 2009 Summer National Senior Games started in San Francisco. HAPPYneuron was proud to be present with its sponsoring partner Humana. Senior Games, you’re saying? Surely, seniors can be active and do regular exercise but doesn’t the term “games” involve a competition? Are seniors actually able to compete in a sports [...]