SharpBrains

During the research phase before the publication of the special report Brain Fitness Centers in Seniors Housing - A Field in the Making, published by the American Seniors Housing Association (ASHA), we realized that there were equal amounts of interest and confusion among executives and professionals thinking about adding computer-based cognitive exercise products to their mix of health & wellness activities, so we included the Evaluation Checklist that follows.

The real-life experiences at leading organizations such as Senior Star Living, Belmont Village Senior Living, Erickson Retirement Communities and others were instrumental in the development of the Checklist. We hope it is useful.

Brain Fitness Programs For Seniors Housing, Healthcare and Insurance Providers: Evaluation Checklist

Over the next several years, it is likely that many seniors housing operators will begin to carefully evaluate a growing number of options to include “brain fitness centers” in their communities.

Some options will require purchasing a device, such as Nintendo products, or the Dakim touch-screen system. Others will require installing software in PCs in existing or new computer labs, such as Posit Science, Cogmed or CogniFit’s programs. Others will be fully available online, such as those offered by Lumos Labs, Happy Neuron and My Vigorous Mind. And still others may be technology-free, promising engaging combinations of interactive, group-based, activities with pen-and-paper exercises.

Creating a solid business case will help communities navigate through this growing array of options. We suggest communities consider this SharpBrains Checklist for Brain Fitness Centers:

1. Early Users: Who among our residents is ready and willing to do the program? How are they reacting to the pilot testing of the program?

2. Cognitive benefits: What are the specific benefits claimed for using this program? Under what scenario of use (how many hours/week, how many weeks)? What specific cognitive skill(s) does the program train? How will we measure progress? Continue Reading »

A few days ago, Rajendra, an Indian reader of our newsletter, told us that ASHA (the acronym for the American Seniors Housing Association, for whom we prepared this special report), means Hope in Hindi.

Asha, everyone!

Then, we saw a few excellent articles on Brain Fitness and SharpBrains in mmultiple languages and continents-time to practice our language skills!:

Train your brain (Financial Times Germany):

"Ob Gehirntraining etwas nützt ist nicht bewiesen. Aber in den USA boomt der Markt, Hersteller kooperieren mit Krankenkassen und Seniorenheimen. In Deutschland fassen die Spiele gerade erst Fuß."

Toman auge ejercicios que adiestran la mente (Milenio, Mexico):

"La clave está en encontrar actividades que estimulen más nuestra memoria."

Trois nouvelles études IDATE : Serious Games (Publi-News, France):

"A travers une analyse détaillée des caractéristiques, des usages et des différentes familles de serious games, cette étude met en évidence les enjeux associés aux phases de conception, de développement et de diffusion des différents types de serious games."

English-speakers were represented too:
An idea whose time has (finally) come (McKnight's Long Term Care News):

"Like many revolutions, long-term care's recent embrace of technology-based brain fitness tools began quietly. Then it exploded."

Several months ago we came across an excellent resource for cognitive/ brain fitness aimed at helping companies offer quality brain health information to their employees.

While it is true that we often tend to believe all this "brain fitness" stuff is most relevant to our parents and/ or grandparents, trust me, if you are reading this, you need it. Everyone with a brain can benefit from learning about how his or her brain works and how to maintain it with proper care.

And, from a company's point of view, aren't "talent" and "human capital" really all about brain fitness and cognitive performance?

The Conference Board and the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives (descriptions below) published in 2008 a 44-page booklet to "teach simple, practical strategies for incorporating brain-friendly practices into day-to-day life".  Your Brain at work: Making the science of cognitive fitness to work for you is the first of three planned booklets on cognitive fitness.

The Conference Board and the Dana Alliance have allowed SharpBrains to share the following Action Plan with our readers, straight from Your Brain at work brochure. At the bottom of this post we also share instructions on how individuals and companies can get their own copies of this excellent brochure. Continue Reading »

The American Seniors Housing Association (ASHA) has just released an Special Issue Brief, titled Brain Fitness Centers in Senior Housing - A Field in the Making. We prepared it for their members, and it is now available for purchase (You can click here for purchase and download. $25.)

It was a pleasure to learn more about emerging trends there and discuss best practices and implications with some of the pioneers at Senior Star Living, Belmont Village, Erickson, and more, who have been leading innovative initiatives and conducting their own pilot studies. I hope you enjoy the report.

This 15-page Special Report describes Continue Reading »

Vijay, one of our readers, wrote yesterday a very thoughtful comment :

"What is brain fitness and how it is measured? Is it the same as mind fitness which seeks to achieve balance in life?"

I am curious to learn how you would answer that question. I will add my perspective over the weekend, since I don't want to bias your thoughts now.

What is brain fitness and how it is measured?

Here are the dates and locations of some upcoming events where I will be presenting. Please introduce yourself if you are attending!

>> September 4-5th, San Francisco, CA: several Brain Health Promotion sessions, at the American Society on Aging conference.

>> October 9th, Vancouver, Canada: Exercising Our Brains 101 and Navigating The Brain Fitness Maze, at the British Columbia Seniors Living Association annual conference.

>> October 11th, San Jose, CA: The Science and Practice of Brain Fitness, at San Jose State University's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. (Information here).

>> October 23rd, Pocatello, Idaho: Cognitive and Emotional Training for Healthy Aging, at the Idaho Conference on Health Care. (Information here).

>> November 1st, Berkeley, CA: The Science and Practice of Brain Fitness, at UC-Berkeley's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. (Information here).

>> November 7-9th, Dubai: Global Agenda Councils Inaugural Summit in Dubai, organized by the World Economic Forum. (Information here).

>> November 17th, New York City: The Emerging Brain Fitness Field: Research and Implications, at New York Public Library.

>> December 5th, San Antonio, Texas: The Emerging Brain Fitness Field: Overview of Research and Tools, at the International Council on Active Aging conference. (Information here).

As always, I will share the main take-aways via this blog. I hope to meet some of you down the road!

A dreaded diagnosis, that dimmed and dooming dilemma. Feared, sometimes fought, too often forgotten. It is the grayest, ghastliest elephant in the room: dementia.

What is dementia? I, like many others who dedicate their professional efforts to its study and treatment, have no good answer. I believe we are lost in our lexicon, trying to define a brain state so vexing and elusive it drives us out of our minds.

I hope we can do better, and I am not alone. In a sensitive and forward-looking editorial entitled Dementia: A Word to be Forgotten, Drs. Trachtenberg and Trojanowski of the University of Pennsylvania argue that alternate terms are more appropriate for research, clinical, and everyday settings. From scientific and biological perspectives, dementia is unspecific and subjective. Within the walls of the physician’s office, delivering the diagnosis of dementia can erect unintended walls around patients and families; vulnerable individuals, assuming that the "cruel connotations in the lay language" actually apply to them, are unnecessarily isolated. Continue Reading »

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Our first Brain Training/ Fitness Webinar Series was a success with several hundred participants and great feedback. If you could not participate, you can still review the presentation slides by clicking Here. A key message from the series: it is exciting that our brains remain more flexible, at all ages, than was once thought possible. The implications? Every single owner of a brain can benefit from learning more about how to maintain the "It" in "Use It or Lose It." And which tools, if any, can be helpful. But, remember, there are no magic pills for cognitive health and performance.

Market News

National Neurotechnology Initiative: Neurotech leaders ask for help to support a pending bill on funding for applications of brain research.

Lumos Labs raises $3 m in venture capital:  This website provides a stimulating Continue Reading »