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Healthy Living

Age-proofing You Brain

Aging is inevitable; losing your mental acuity is not. That's the implication of the latest brain research, which is discovering that the choices we make throughout our lifetime about work, play, diet, social interaction, relaxation, and even spirituality have a significant effect on our ability to remain sharp well into old age.

Cognitive reserve is a buffer of extra brain structures and networks built by a lifetime of stimulating experiences. Education and intellectual inquisitiveness help build cognitive reserve. You can increase the density of your brain"forest" at any time in your life. A 2009 report from the Bronx Aging Study, which is following men and women in their 70s and 80s, found that the type of leisure activities they pursued as they aged was just as important as their education early in life. Researchers found that the more the participants engaged in mentally stimulating activities-reading, writing, working crossword puzzles, playing board or card games, participating in group discussions, or playing music- the longer they delayed the onset of rapid memory decline.

Passive activities, such as watching television, don't count. In fact, people who watch it 7 hours a day or longer run a risk of memory loss, according to a study presented at a medical conference by Mayo Clinic researches in April 2009.

Some Suggestions

1) Don't quit your day job. One way to keep the mental juices flowing is to work, especially if your job involves critical thinking and social interaction.

2) Mind your heart. Exercise, for example, boosts short-term brain function and wards off cognitive decline, according to two recent studies published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

3) Quiet your mind. To begin with, you are sharper when rested. In addition, rest gives your brain time to make connections to new information and shuttle it into long-term memory. Also give yourself time each day to meditate, pray, or simply tune out the demands clamoring for your attention.

4) Find good company. Your brain thrives in a social environment.

5) Check eyes and ears. Research suggests that simply providing older hospitalized patients with glasses, hearing aids, or other devices helps to keep them sharp, attentive, and aware of their surroundings.

Source: "Age-proofing Your Brain." Consumer Reports On Health (July 2010): pp. 1, 4-5.

Clergy

The Rev. Charles Davidson

Vestry Members

Carol Anderson, Cyrus Aimey (Junior Warden), Walter Benjamin (Senior Warden), Terry Brown (Treasurer), Marie Brown-Harvey (Secretary), Nora Brown, Arlette Hurdle, shannon Holder, Joyce Asiedu, Bates Lyons, Joe Noel, Peter Marsele, Clarence Tuning, Lloyd Wimbish, Herbert Bowen ( Hon)

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Rochelle Holder - Youth Choir

Nathaniel Baker - Music Director/Organist

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Canon Cyril Burke

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