Atlantic Canadian strategies to keep the brain sharp
A lot of us don’t think about brain health until we’ve walked all the way out the door and to our garage and realise we didn’t bring our car keys with us. There’s nothing like that jolt of reality to bring into focus the dynamic nature of our brains.
We won’t be as sharp as we were in our 20s when we reach our 90s, but does that mean we have to let nature take its course without trying to help the cause?
When we asked Atlantic Canadians what they do to keep their cognitive capabilities sharp, we got an array of answers like exercise, mindful eating, starting a new career, learning a new language, playing board games, reading, music, art, volunteering and even video games.
Penny Wheelhouse, for instance, shared that both of her parents, who are in their 70s, own Nintendo Switches.
“I think video games keep the brain active,” Wheelhouse said. “Mom’s favourites are Disney Dreamlight Valley and Animal Crossing. Dad likes strategy games like Tetris and Dr. Mario,” she added.
Ryan McAdam-Young believes in the power of art.
In fact, she runs a seniors art program in P.E.I.'s Tracadie area called Awakening Your Creativity.
“The whole idea is to get seniors out, trying something new and working the creative parts of their brains,” McAdam-Young explained.
THE WHY AND HOW OF BRAIN HEALTH
Erin Woolridge, a naturopathic doctor from St. John’s, N.L., thinks there's a big reason why people’s cognitive health declines after retirement. “[It] is largely due in part to the fact that they often stop using their brains. If they’re no longer going to work and they don’t have things to keep their minds active in the interim, they will fare much more poorly,” Woolridge said.
Natasha Rajah, a neuroscientist and Toronto Metropolitan University, department of psychology, professor, said not everyone’s brain health trajectory is going to look the same.
That being said, some factors like a person’s level of education, physical activity levels, good cardiovascular health and maintaining cognitive engagement via work, extracurriculars or social connectedness can influence brain resilience and reserve.
“Age-related memory decline starts at midlife and continues into older age,” said Rajah. “In midlife and early older age, individuals maintain their memory for facts/world knowledge (semantic memory) but show some deficits in memory for
previously experienced event details (episodic memory).”
When you reach midlife, it is relatively normal for you to forget things like where you left your keys or the order in which you were introduced to people at a get-together, said the neuroscientist.
This is what’s known as spatial (location) and temporal (time) details about past experiences.
“However, memory for the event itself or items that were the focus of your attention remains relatively intact until much later in life (80s) — for example, recognizing the face of someone you met recently,
nd remembering what you ate for breakfast, etc. So does your memory of facts and world knowledge.
“If your memory loss is affecting everyday living, this is when you should be concerned.
If you are having significant problems with language and semantics that are affecting your daily life (not the occasional forgetting of a word or fact, which is normal), a visit to the doctor may help alleviate concerns,” added Rajah.
PREVENTING DEMENTIA
Dementia is probably the most known group of health conditions linked with brain health and cognitive capabilities. Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, impairs a person’s memory, thinking and behaviour.
Jenna Farrell, manager of communications and marketing with the Alzheimer’s Society of Nova Scotia, shared that as an organization they’ve been promoting 10 ways to reduce your risk of dementia, which include staying physically and socially active, getting quality sleep, managing your heart health, protect your hearing, quitting smoking, seeking support for depression, drinking less alcohol, avoiding brain injury and managing your medical conditions.
“Research does show that making these lifestyle changes to eliminate risk factors can reduce our risk of developing dementia by up to 40 per cent,” explained Farrell.
If you’re wondering what hearing has to do with anything brain-related, Christine Waddel, registered nurse and director of Clinical Care at Right at Home Canada, said keeping your senses, like sight and sound, in good working order helps the brain maintain its neuro pathways.
“Failure to correct hearing loss can cause issues with interpreting the environment around you and slow the development of cognitive problems,” Waddel said.
As for physical activity, Sharlene Hogeterp Louden, a registered kinesiologist, also from Right at Home Canada, said research backs the idea those with a lower chance of developing dementia as they get older are the ones who exercise regularly throughout mid-life.
“Both aerobic exercise (like running, jogging or brisk walking) and resistance training (muscle strengthening exercises) have been linked with better brain function immediately after exercise, as well as over longer periods of time,” explained Hogeterp Louden.
“Exercise has another way of mitigating brain health problems — the release of endorphins. Endorphins released through exercise also reduce the risk of depression. This is important because depression can actually worsen dementia risk,” shared Woolridge.
A HOLISTIC APPROACH
What you eat matters, too, said Woolridge. The Mediterranean diet, in particular, has been proven to combat the risk of age-related health conditions like heart disease and dementia. The Mediterranean diet is all about naturally reducing processed and refined foods and increasing more fibre, healthy fats and lean protein.
“The Mediterranean diet, however, is about more than just food. It’s also about how the food is eaten. Often Mediterranean principles include walking to dinner; it’s a social, leisurely and relaxed affair.”