THE Neighbourhood News Drop campaign today hears from Age NI on the importance of exercising your brain.
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LOSING thinking skills does not have to be an inevitable part of ageing, according to Age NI's Siobhan Casey.
Siobhan, director of marketing and business development at the charity, is also an Atlantic Fellow in Brain Equity at the Global Brain Health Institute at Trinity College Dublin.
The aim of her studies is to help older people improve their brain health as a key component of ageing well.
She said: "The good news is that there are plenty of things we can be doing to keep our minds sharp and protect our thinking skills as we age.
"We all know that some people's thinking skills age better than others but genes are only part of the story. The major influences on brain health, as we age, are our lifestyle choices, which fortunately are the things we can control and change.
"Keeping active, staying in touch with our friends, family and other social connections, maintaining a healthy weight, a healthy diet, good sleep patterns, not smoking and regular check-ups are all what the experts recommend.
"The mantra is ‘what's good for your heart, is good for your brain'."
Siobhan added: "Twenty years ago, the view was that there was little we could do to improve our brain health.
"Now we know that our brain is like a muscle. Like any other muscle, if we exercise it through learning, reasoning and creating new memories, it will continue to develop, nerves regenerate, pathways rewire and new tissue grows.
"Called neuroplasticity, this allows the nerve cells in the brain to compensate for injury and disease and to adjust their activities in response to new situations or to changes in our environment."
She said her lecturer, Professor Ian Robertson, a leading neuropsychologist and author, and recommends 'shining a light' on our health and our relationships.
His advice is, 'Don't just do the same things and meet the same people over and over again. Challenge yourself to learn new tasks, link in, if you can, to different social circles. Consider taking up a new activity, like walking, aerobic exercise, dancing, reading, listening to music, meditation or mindfulness. These are all great brain boosters'.
Said Siobhan: "This is why this Irish News neighbourhood connections campaign is so important. We all need to shine a light on our health and well-being and recognise the importance of staying in touch with others. By picking up a free copy of the newspaper and bringing it along to an older friend or neighbour, we can reignite conversation and restore the community spirit of old.
"My mum, who lived to 90, used to say that she didn't ‘know enough to give advice’, yet she was the wisest person I ever knew. I am lucky in my role in Age NI to be able to find her kind of counsel from all the dedicated volunteers and clients who make Age NI the great place to work that it is.
"With over 78,000 older people living alone here, this campaign gives us all the opportunity to tap into the wisdom and experience of our older generation so we can stay sharp together."
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Top tips for staying sharp
• Take up a new activity
• Don’t smoke
• Have regular check-ups
• Eat a healthy diet
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Keep active
• Look after your sleep
• Learn another language
