In today’s fast-paced society, job load, family responsibilities, health concerns, and financial stress can take a toll on memory, sharpness, and speed of the thinking process. It may be tempting to spend our evenings on “mindless” or passive activities in an attempt to relax after a stressful day; however this may not be the best strategy for promoting our brain health.
As the newest research in neuroscience provides a better understanding about the correlation between stress, lack of mental activity, and cognitive decline, more and more people want to be proactive and take charge of their cognitive health.
To meet this need, LIAF (the Long Island Memory Center) will offer a Brain Fitness series in Port Washington. The classes will incorporate cognitive training exercises to stimulate those major cognitive skills that are susceptible to decline, such as visual and verbal memory, attention, visual/spatial skills, language skills, logical, abstract, and creative thinking, etc.
Cognitive training is an emerging modality in the brain health arena. It builds on the science of neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to “rewire” itself by forming new brain cells and neural connections through cognitive effort in order to successfully perform tasks and optimize functioning at any age.
The series is designed for those who are cognitively well or experiencing some forgetfulness and wish to enhance their brain fitness. Classes will take place from 4:15 to 6:15 PM at LIAF (5 Channel Drive, Port Washington, NY) on Thursdays, beginning March 8, 2012 and running for seven weeks. There is a $99 registration fee for the series. Please call LIAF at (516) 767-6856 for further details or to register.
“Because the classes are group oriented and led by experienced facilitators, participants gain the added benefits of energizing ‘peer pressure’ to keep them motivated to ‘stay the course,’” stated co-facilitator Joyce Schneider. “Without someone rallying them on, people can lose interest once they hit an impasse. We will empower them to see each exercise through, resulting in a more rigorous mental exercise.”
“Online brain teasers and brain games, printed, and/or electronic devices offer a lot of opportunities to stimulate cognition, but they may not be enough,” said LIAF Cognitive Trainer, Alexandra Krisztofer, MA, MS. “I call those ‘cognitive cardio exercises,’ which help to keep the brain ‘toned.’ However, in order to build new brain cells and new interconnections, or to speed up cognitive processing, we need ‘heavy weight training’, such as LIAF’s challenging, structured, group cognitive training classes, or the personal coaching in our computer-based brain training programs.”
For more information or to register, please call (516) 767-6856.
To educate our Long Island communities on Alzheimer’s disease, coping techniques after diagnosis, and cognitive program options, LIAF will be holding its 24th Annual Coping & Caring Conference on March 26th at the Hilton in Melville, NY. To inquire about our conference, to register for the Brain Fitness Series, or to speak to a social worker about the various programs LIAF offers, please call (516)767-6856.
