Changing Your Brain Yourself

• Cathy uses the story of her recovery from a serious arm injury to focus on the fact that attitude plays a tremendous role, at any age, in one’s cognitive and physical health and in one’s ability to make a change. At any age, if we believe our age controls us, it does. If we believe we control it, we have a fighting chance. Age gets blamed a lot of times when the operative work should be lazy. Complementary skills help everyone see differently and better. That is emphatically true cross-generationally. The elderly do better when their peers are not limited to other old people.
• Research shows that people with cognitive reserves suffer less from brain changes due to Alzheimer’s. Things you can do to pump up cognitive reserves include: continuing education, meaningful and enjoyable work, pleasurable leisure activities, learning new skills and languages, and taking up new computer skills such as video games and social networking. Such activities will build reserves of neurons, synapses, and neuromotor skills that your brain can call on when needed. There is also evidence that Internet use and social networking extends life itself.

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