Brain Games

Alzheimer’s and dementia are two words we hear more often with each passing day. Statistics tell us ten percent of individuals age sixty-five or over have Alzheimer’s. That is startling news. However, fifty percent of individuals in the United States age eighty-five or over have been diagnosed with this life-changing disease. One in five families in the United States is caring for someone with dementia. In the next ten years, that statistic will change to one in two families.

The question begs to be asked, “What can we do to preserve the brain?” While there are many products that claim huge success rates in slowing dementia or even stopping Alzheimer’s, most of these products are merely out to claim a large portion of your spendable dollars. However, brain games are an excellent way to build neurons in the brain.

I recently spent some time on the computer playing many of these brain games. I came away from the first experience feeling pretty good about myself. It seems I have the brain age of a31 year old. Considering I am 52, that made me smile. However, the next time I played, I had rapidly advanced in my brain age. I was now operating at the skill and accuracy level of an84 year old.Oh my! What happened?

Being able to remember the square, triangle, circle, and oval sequence in the first screen was important when the second screen was missing one of those shapes. Quickly, I recognized the oval was missing. Points were scored! YEAH! However, as the game progressed, the sequencing became more difficult to follow, and this caused a sudden drop in my skill level.

Why do we care about these games? Our brains are made up of one hundred billion neurons and one hundred trillion branches. The neurons connect to each other to form synapses. When we learn something new - like a foreignlanguage, or challenge the brain with brain games - new neurons are formed. The tighter the neurons become, the more synapses are formed, and the quicker our ability to recall new information will become.

While there is no magic cure for dementia or Alzheimer’s, it is advantageous to our brain’s health to play games that stimulate the mind. If you are looking for online versions, I recommend lumonsity.com. This website offers a free version and a monthly fee version of the games that will help the mind think more quickly, the eye to be more observant, and the hand-eye coordination level to become more ready forquick change. Brain games! What are you feeding your brain?