Researchers find new way to boost brain power in elderly

aadmin — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 15:32:33 +0000

There are many ways to a longer, healthier life: physical exercise, mental workouts, and a strong network of friends and family. But a new article from WebMD.com says a positive outlook on life can have a powerful impact on someone’s mental health, for anyone ranging from seniors in an assisted living community to those living at home.

WebMD.com reports that the researchers, who reported their findings in the medical journal Cognition and Emotion, did not expect that the impact of having a positive attitude would be so pronounced among older people.

“But because of the [mental] declines that come with aging, we weren't sure that a good mood would be able to help older adults,” Ellen Peters, one of the study’s authors, wrote in a press release, according to WebMD.com. “So these results are good news.”

In a series of tests, the researchers split participants into two groups, and one group was given small bags of candy, and looked at positive images, while the other group saw neutral images. The researchers found that the group who received the bag of candy responded much better in decision-making later on, leading the scientists to draw a connection between a positive attitude and better mental faculties.

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University pairs with retirement chain to help seniors' memories

aadmin — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 16:03:58 +0000

A good memory is out of reach for many people, and it can become increasingly difficult for older people, even those with healthy minds, to recall names and telephone numbers of people they meet.

To help provide seniors with the tools to boost their memories, a university is pairing with an Iowa assisted living chain to offer training sessions to older people.

As reported in The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier newspaper, the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) and Western Home Communities hope that their joint MINDS (Memory, Intellect, Nutrition, Detection and Stamina) program will help many seniors prevent early-onstage dementia.

“Prevention is getting to be so important… this is one of those areas that can be addressed,” professor Theresa Kouri of the UNI told the newspaper.

The initiative began as a six-week program with the original goal of having UNI give back to its local community, but it has morphed into an opportunity of mutual benefit for the university’s students and Western Home Communities’ residents, who are paired together.

Professor Kouri told the newspaper that her expertise in cognition and language has taught her that older people need to work at maintaining their mental and verbal skills to help ward off dementia.

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Researchers find new way to boost brain power in elderly

University pairs with retirement chain to help seniors' memories