The emerging epidemic of dementia cases – which may reach 100 million by 2050 – has led to a burgeoning industry of so-called ‘brain fitness’ tools. Even healthy older adults with no sign of cognitive decline are getting onboard the brain fitness train, in hopes of sustaining their brain function over a long period of time.
Assisted living communities, too, are recognizing this trend and many have begun introducing brain fitness programs as part of their resident activities.
Primarily digitally-based products, they include video games, computer software programs, online learning tutorials, and other products claiming to maintain or enhance memory, concentration, visual and spatial skills, verbal recall and executive functions. While many products are backed by good studies and respected professionals, keep in mind these three important caveats:
- Relatively few have undergone traditional scientific long-term tests.
- It’s not clear if the benefits of these tools generalize to overall thinking skills and whether they actually improve activities of daily living, a significant life-quality factor for older adults
- The brain doesn’t exist independently from the rest of our body. Other forces can affect brain health, including diet, physical exercise, genetics, toxin exposure and interpersonal relations; don’t view brain exercises as a magic bullet solution to age-related cognitive challenges.
So with those cautions in mind, let’s explore the world of brain fitness and take a look at five of the more popular products:
Nintendo
Maker of many top-selling video games, Nintendo offers the popular Brain Age game for $20.00. It’s designed to work with the Nintendo DS handheld game system, which ranges in price from $99 to $170.00. Handheld size and graphics could pose a challenge for older eyes so keep that in mind. Brain Age can be played alone or with others; activities include quickly solving math problems and counting people going in and out of a house simultaneously. Users can draw pictures on the touch screen or read classic literature aloud; the popular Sudoko number puzzle game is included too. A Wall Street Journal review noted that your “brain age” can drop by decades in just a few days, making the science behind the metrics a bit suspect.
MyBrainTrainer.com
Calling itself the “world’s first and best virtual mental gymnasium,” this online site offers 48 online exercises for a fee of $9.95 for three months or $29.95 for one year. That Wall Street Journal review found this “the worst of the group for clarity and directions, but with some worthwhile exercises.”
Posit Science
Posit Science claims that its software programs “speed up and s
harpen the brain, so people think faster, focus better and remember more.” Priced at $345.00 for the total software package, the company offers products that test auditory, visual and driving skills. Reviewers called it “basic” and “boring” but “backed by real science.”
Dakim Brain Fitness
Dakim offers two brain training concepts for seniors:
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BrainFitness™ System: Designed for non-computer users, this self-contained plug and play console system costs $2349 and offers a varie
ty of brain exercises.
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Online brain fitness software usable with a standard computer system costs $249.00 and includes one year of content and software updates.
CogniFit
This web-based program, voted “most fun and seemingly most effective” by those WSJ reviewers, is accessed online and priced depending on subscription terms. CogniFit Personal Coach and Senior Driver are the two most popular brain fitness programs.
Assisted living communities that focus on creating a person-centered, failure-free environment for their residents are adding brain-building tools to their care options. Tell us what you think about these tools
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