Strengthening The Aging Brain
OVERVIEW:
Building Brain Togethers (BBT) mission is to build adult capabilities to improve brain development and executive functions over the lifespan. Building Brains is achieving this mission through research, education and creating resources that strengthen the brain.
The success of the Building Brains program with children and youth prompted BBT to explore if older adults would benefit from age-appropriate playful activities aimed at enhancing and strengthening executive functions. During middle adulthood, the three core executive functions - inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility - begin to decline, and continue to decline with aging. This decline in executive functioning is associated with typical age-related brain changes, particularly in the frontal lobes. Executive functions are necessary for successful day-to-day living and maintaining independence in older adults. Thus, it is crucial to find interventions that strengthen executive functions in older adults.
BBTs goal is to present a set of ten simple games that are accessible (require minimal materials), easily altered for different ages and abilities, and most importantly, evidence based. It is important to acknowledge that researchers consistently report several universal methods to support a healthy brain, and these appear true whether your brain is three months old, three years old, or 103 years old.
