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New research shows that not only can training older minds help to keep them functioning better, but the results can last for years.
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In a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, University of Florida researchers studied almost three-thousand adults who were over sixty-five, randomly assigning them to receive training to improve their memory, reasoning or speed of processing or to receive no training at all. Researchers also wanted to determine whether the mental improvements could affect their ability to perform everyday tasks, such as understanding medication instructions or reacting to traffic signals quickly. All three training groups showed mental improvements a full five years later. Some also showed better maintenance of their everyday tasks.
Dr. Michael Marsiske / UF aging expert
"They were able to more quickly find numbers in a phone book, find items in pantry or respond to
road signs on a computer screen. So overall we think we improved their ability to perform quick,
everyday tasks."
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The study is among the first to demonstrate such long-lasting mental exercise benefits, as well as possible daily activity benefits. Experts say seniors who want to strengthen their minds for the future might look beyond the crossword puzzles and word searches they currently enjoy. Researchers think that tasking the mind with new and difficult problems may be one key to maintaining optimal mental function down the road.
Dr. Michael Marsiske / UF aging expert
"What you want to do is challenge yourself with things that you don't regularly do—like try to do your taxes on your own this year, before you see a tax professional, or try to understand your medications on your own, before you talk to a pharmacist. Those are the kinds of activities that, just as with the analogy of physical training, challenge you to use abilities that you don't ordinarily use and in the process, strengthen them."
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At the University of Florida Health Science Center, I'm Mike Garrison
