[KJW #078] Advances in Prevention and Treatment of Dementia: Nurturing A Healthier Brain, Neurogenesis, Neuroplasticity and Whole-Person-Center Wellness For Elders and Their Caregivers.

Elders, Nurses from Spokane Valley Hospital and Nutritionists gathered at Center Place at Mirabeau to learn, practice and explore better ways to nurture wellness and healing.

Center Place Mirabeau - May 2007
facilitated by the Institute of Extended Learning and
Kathy J. Ward, President of WEL, World Elder Land
and ERT, Elder Recreation Therapy
(www.kathyjward.com/KJW)

Comments from the participants:

• I have learned that by nurturing my own wellness I can make a difference in my life, my community and the world.
  
  
• I believed thinking of myself was selfish... now I realized that the betterment of myself will ripple out to better the life of others.
  
  
• I have learned practical ways to care for my brain, especially the relation of food and brain activity.
  
  
• The easy going style of the speaker increases interest to ask questions... loved that I could ask questions.
  
  
• Very much of one-on-one in a class setting.
  
  
• There are two words that have a new meaning to me; "betterment" and "co-create"... thank you Kathy!
  
  
• There is much I am not just thinking about, but I started my own Journal For A Better Life, I am setting more time to meditate, drinking more water and many other useful things.
  
  
• I have learned to slow down, be positive, be helpful, better myself, enjoy life and others more, be happier, etc. All these are part of health.
  
  
• I am much more aware of the impact of what I eat, drink, breath, think and what it does to my body and overall health.
  
  
• Kathy teaches at a level I can understand complex body functions.
  
• All that I have learned will help me with the care of my patients, my elderly mother and myself.
  
  
• This program has inspired me to want to be healthier, practice better nutrition and improving my brain health.
  
  
• Thank you so much for going over the structure of the brain, its functions and how can I make them better.
  

Alzheimer's and Dementia are not inevitable parts of aging.

At the age of 55, your brain may not be as sharp and healthy as it was at 20. However, we can influence a better brain; its function, its physiology (i.e., neuroplasticity, neurogenesis), and its biochemistry, choosing healthier life-styles.

Unlike other cells in our bodies, brain cells don't replicate as part of a regular procedure, and throughout our life-span some of these brain cells die off gradually. Research show that age-related memory decline is probably caused by less efficient communication between cells that shrink in size in two particular areas of the brain like; the frontal lobe (1) (The frontal lobes have been found to play a part in impulse control, judgment, language production, working memory, motor function, problem solving, sexual behavior, socialization, and spontaneity. The frontal lobes assist in planning, coordinating, controlling, and executing behavior. People that have damaged frontal lobes may experience problems with these aspects of cognitive function, being at times impulsive; impaired in their ability to plan and execute complex sequences of actions) and the hippocampus (2) (a critical part of the brain for the formation of new autobiographical and fact memories); two structures involved in memory functions.


The brain has a remarkable capacity for modification and repair. If a neuronet (network of cells) display weakness, another network can often create new connections, (new brain cell formation - neurogenesis), by responding to stimulation.

The structure of our brain, from the details of our dendrites to the density of our hippocampus, is incredibly influenced by our surroundings. Stressful conditions affect our brain and therefore it stops creating new brain cells, as a result and over time the brain will be disfigured.

"Viewed through the magnified eyes of a confocal microscope, a newborn neuron looks fragile, almost lonely. Everything around it is connected to everything else, but the new cell is all alone, just a seed of soma (1) and a thin stalk of axon (1) desperately trying to plug itself into the network. If it doesn’t, it will die. Staring at this tenuous neuron, it is hard to believe that so much depends upon its presence and the environment." (SEED Brain and Behavior, February 2006.)


We can influence a better brain by stimulating, with goal-directed experiential therapeutic programs in the context of "rehabilitation interventions", approaches to better brain function. Elder Recreation Therapy (ERT)© interventions can be measured, tested and implemented according to the "needs" and "interest" of each person.

Improving Brain Function and Its Pathology: Influencing environmental stimulation by co-creating enriched environments for better brain function.

Facilitating therapeutic, healthier enriched environments for our elders and their caregivers should include; novelty, variety, challenge, problem-solving, practice and lots of fun. Poverty, poor nutrition, lack of stimulation and stress are environmental factors that influence negatively the anatomy and function of our brains.


There are several factors, all together or not, that make the brain more susceptible to brain illnesses, dementia. Scientist have uncovered evidence that the same risk factors that have long been known to raise risk for heart disease, stroke, diabetes, high cholesterol, also may increase chances of getting Alzheimer's or Dementia. For example; smoking increases risk of dementia or Alzheimer's by 26 percent (Archives of neurology, Volume 63 - National Institute of Aging.)

Poor blood sugar control in diabetics raises risk for Dementia and Alzheimer's disease. A study based on the records of 22,852 patients with type 2 diabetes examined eight years worth of records to look for a correlation between blood sugar control, inflammation and risk for dementia. (Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Alzheimer's report 2007.)

A study of 124 previously sedentary adults (age 60-75) compared the effects of aerobics exercises; walking and stretching, on different aspects of mental function, such as memory and executive process (planning, logic, problem-solving). Those engaged in a regular aerobic exercise program showed significant improvement in performing mental tasks, while those in the other group did not. (New England Journal of Medicine. June 2006).

This training program was crafted to help our elders and caregivers with meaningful supportive information, better understanding and better practices to nurture a healthier brain.

Upcoming Health Promotion and Wellness Series
with Kathy J. Ward:

• Relaxation and Stress Reduction For A Better Brain: May 30, June 6 - 1:3 p.m.
  
  
• The Mind-Body Connection: June 13, 10-12noon.
  
  
• Nurturing a Healthier Brain: June 20, 10-12noon.
  

- Registration or questions: 509-533-4756 or 240-393-5456