Just a Bite May 26th, 2009

Quote to ponder under the apple tree

A horse is dangerous on both ends and
uncomfortable in the middle.
~Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (born May 22, 1859 - 150 last week!)

Resources to bite into

1. Do we all have blind spots? *

As the current issue of Brain Aerobics Weekly notes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a complex human being who created in the character of Sherlock Holmes a man noted for his intellectual prowess and uncommon powers of observation and deductive reasoning. He scolded his sidekick Dr. Watson, “You see, but you do not observe.” Yet the author also believed in fairies and was famously taken in by a photographic hoax. He had a falling out with his friend Harry Houdini because he refused to believe him when Houdini insisted he did not have supernatural powers and was merely a magician. Perhaps we all believe what we want to believe in some circumstances.

2. Riddles *

Three famous mystery writers have their birthdays near the end of May – the others are Dashiell Hammett, May 27, 1894, and Ian Fleming, May 28, 1908. You may like reading their full-length mystery books or you may prefer solving 30-second mysteries, which are often found in the guise of riddles. For example, what:
· Is pronounced as one letter; written with three, including one letter the same at both ends, i.e., a simple palindrome
· And comes in many colors but is most common in two?
(Answer on next page)

3. Backyard games *

Physical Fitness and Sports Month is coming to an end and last week was Backyard Games Week, so the reminiscence portion of the current issue of Brain Aerobics Weekly focuses on the delights of jacks, marbles, jump rope, Red Rover, Captain May I? and more, but the reality is that backyard games – precisely because they imply getting outdoors – are great anytime. If you’re no longer a candidate for vigorous tag, you may still be able to play croquet, badminton and lawn bowling, for example. Keeping score is optional, but keeping moving daily is good for body and brain.

* These items are easily adapted when working with people with Alzheimer’s disease.

Answer to riddle: eye

Tips/ideas/insights to savor

An article by Benedict Carey called “At the Bridge Table, Clues to a Lucid Old Age” appeared in the New York Times May 22 (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/22/health/research/22brain.html?ref=health). There is no room to quote it at length here, but one particular point is worth making, because it seems to affirm the results of an increasing number of studies – which, thankfully, are beginning to look at successful aging instead of its opposite. Here are excerpts:

The project, begun by University of Southern California researchers in 1981 and called the 90+ Study, has included more than 14,000 people aged 65 and older, and more than 1,000 aged 90 or older. “These are the most successful agers on earth, and they’re only just beginning to teach us what’s important, in their genes, in their routines, in their lives,” said Dr. Claudia Kawas, a neurologist at the University of California, Irvine. “We think, for example, that it’s very important to use your brain, to keep challenging your mind, but all mental activities may not be equal. We’re seeing some evidence that a social component may be crucial.”

. . . So far, scientists here have found little evidence that diet or exercise affects the risk of dementia in people over 90. But some researchers argue that mental engagement — doing crossword puzzles, reading books — may delay the arrival of symptoms. And social connections, including interaction with friends, may be very important, some suspect. In isolation, a healthy human mind can go blank and quickly become disoriented, psychologists have found.

“There is quite a bit of evidence now suggesting that the more people you have contact with, in your own home or outside, the better you do” mentally and physically, Dr. Kawas said. “Interacting with people regularly, even strangers, uses easily as much brain power as doing puzzles, and it wouldn’t surprise me if this is what it’s all about.”

Bottom line: Keep on making new friends.