About 65 percent of adults older than 60 years have some hearing loss. However, a Johns Hopkins study revealed that only about 14 percent of people experiencing hearing loss get hearing aids. People who do not hear well tend not to socialize, because they have difficulty participating in conversations. They are also generally less involved… Continue reading →
Myth: Drinking is Good for Brain Health
So, what is one to do? Some say that if you do not drink at all, there is no good reason to start. Heavy drinkers can benefit the most from drinking less. And others should consider how much risk they are willing to take, based on their individual risk for certain diseases. Ultimately, reducing the… Continue reading →
Statins and Memory
6392968 © Artem Illarionov | Dreamstime.com A question I am sometimes asked when speaking about memory and brain health is: do statins cause memory problems? So, I decided to investigate the research on this. And like many areas of research, the results are not clear! Since many treatments that can help the heart can also help the brain, it… Continue reading →
Technology to Diagnose Alzheimer’s Disease
An estimated 5.7 million people in the U.S. have Alzheimer’s disease—the most common type of dementia—and that number is expected to more than double by 2050. Early diagnosis is crucial for patients to benefit from the few therapies available. To diagnose this disease, doctors must conduct numerous clinical and neuropsychological tests. However, there is growing… Continue reading →
Speaking for the ICAA Virtual Conference!
I am excited to once again be an invited speaker for the International Council on Active Aging Conference (https://icaaconference.icaa.cc/), which is being held virtually on November 9-10 and 16-17. My first session will be “Optimizing Sleep for Better Brain Health” on November 10. Poor sleep quality is associated with depression, inflammation, increased risk of falls… Continue reading →
Financial Literacy and Brain Health
There are many connections between financial literacy, which means “the ability to understand and use various financial skills, including personal financial management, budgeting, and investing,” and brain or cognitive health. Research is beginning to shed some light on these connections. Boyle et al. (2013) suggested that financial literacy is particularly a problem among adults over… Continue reading →
Eyes are window “to soul,” and to detection of Alzheimer’s!
This is yet no standard screening system for Alzheimer’s disease, even though it is the most common form of dementia among older adults. Diagnosing Alzheimer’s in its early stages has proven to be a challenge. The result is that treatment often doesn’t even begin until the brain has already suffered irreversible damage. An Ontario, Canada,… Continue reading →
Normal Aging or Early Signs of Alzheimer’s?
I began doing presentations on brain health and memory several years ago, mainly to educate the “worried well” about behaviors that might indicate cognitive decline and about lifestyle practices that would help maintain brain function. Most people with Alzheimer’s are 65 or older. After age 65, the risk of Alzheimer’s doubles every five years. After… Continue reading →
Ping Pong for Brain Health
Ping pong has been touted as an excellent way to get both cognitive stimulation and physical exercise. It is also social, both live and using the Oculus Quest virtual reality (VR) system. During COVID I have been playing ping pong with my son, who lives in another state. We can carry on a conversation and… Continue reading →
Presenting at ICAA Virtual Conference!
Next week and the week following is the 2020 International Council on Active Aging (ICAA) Virtual Conference, Leadership Summit and Expo https://icaaconference.icaa.cc/ The theme this year is “Aging well: the great disruptor.” In addition to prominent keynotes by Colin Milner and Ken Dychtwald, there will be presentations on a variety of topics from cognitive and… Continue reading →