In this edition
- Healthy Aging Initiative Impact
- World Alzheimer’s Day Food for Thought – Sept. 1, 2024
- Lifestyle Modifications for Brain Health – Celebrate World Alzheimer’s Month
- Protect your brain and cognition with these tips
About the Newsletter
For Healthy Aging Month, learn the impacts the University of Nevada, Reno Extension Healthy Aging Initiative (HAI) team had on the community this last year. Article highlights the Aging Mastery Program® (AMP), Disrupt Aging, and Bingocize® for older adults. Read about Alzheimer's Day and learn tips to protect your brain and cognition.
Healthy Aging Initiative Impact
By: Natalie Mazzullo, M.Ed.
As Healthy Aging Month begins, the University of Nevada, Reno Extension Healthy Aging Initiative (HAI) team reflects on its incredible impact in the community this last year (July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024)—for older adults and those who partner with them to provide care and support.
We offered 19 free evidence-based direct education classes in health, nutrition and physical activity, including the Aging Mastery Program® (AMP) and Bingocize® for older adults. We teach these classes where our elders eat, learn, live, play, congregate and work. The American College of Sports Medicine reported in September 2023 that Bingocize® can positively impact older adults' general health and physical activity levels. 225 participants joined our unique aging mastery and bingo sessions.
~ One hundred percent of participants reported that the AMP training helped them deal with their health more effectively. A class attendee commented on how Bingocize® and its exercises have helped her get up and down more easily when sitting.
HEALTHY AGING INITIATIVE PROGRAMs
HAI Bingocize Program
The Healthy Aging Initiative team implemented six professional development training courses for 549 health
professionals, resulting in attendees receiving 1,626 hours of continuing education. Professionals included certified health education specialists, long term care administrators, marriage & family therapists and professional counselors, nurses, and social workers, all working to provide care and support to older adults across our state. Program completers reported that they would use the knowledge they gained to benefit 88,397 others by expanding or revising site guidelines/policies when working with older adults, providing programs or services to older adults in a new way, interacting with older adults differently, educating older adults and their families, educating/training faculty, professionals, staff and students.
~ A Disrupt Aging professional development attendee commented that the training was an excellent eye-opener to the reality of ageism. A romance scam attendee wrote that the training was very informative and taught by knowledgeable presenters, with lots of information and resources to be used and given to older adults to provide support.
Our program can connect you with the resources to navigate aging and its trends. We include careers in aging exploration, an adapted version of Disrupt Aging Classroom ™, for incoming college freshmen. The Chronicle of Higher Education recently reported that five million students care for a loved one. Nine classes were held, and 70 incoming freshman students learned how older adults living longer can impact their academic major and future career choices. Students shared their intended majors, and the Healthy Aging Initiative team explored career options that would benefit older adults and the community.
~ An incoming marketing majorcommented that marketing campaigns directed at older adults
would make a more significant economicimpact after he learned that adults over
50 spent $.56 of every dollar in 2018, increasing to $.61 by 2050.
To schedule a class or learn more about what Extension's Healthy Aging Initiative offers, email nmazzullo@unr.edu.
Healthy Aging Initiative Team
World Alzheimer’s Day Food for Thought
Sept. 1, 2024
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, older adults should focus on fruit, vegetables, nuts and grains. They should replace butter with healthy fats like olive oil. They should limit their consumption of red meat. They should
use herbs rather than salt to flavor food. And they should eat fish and poultry at least twice a week.
ALZHEIMER'S association NUTRITION TIPS
Lifestyle Modifications for Brain Health
Celebrate World Alzheimer’s Month – Month of September
Lifestyle modifications are important pillars of promoting brain health, including a plant-focused approach to eating, healthy sleep, and cognitive, physical and social activity to decrease social isolation and promote daily movement. A plant-focused eating approach is high in fish, vegetables, fruits, and nuts and low in meat and dairy products, which may be linked to a reduced risk for cognitive impairment and fewer early signs of Alzheimer's disease.
Brain thoughts clipart
Protect your brain and cognition with these tips:
- Learn New Skills —Like other health issues, brain health should be part of the prevention of disease. Alzheimer’s is a neurodegenerative disease, and the cause and cure are unknown at this point. However, stimulating the brain may delay the onset of the disease. So, learning a new skill works the brain’s muscles.
- Exercise Makes the Brain Work —Although the brain isn’t actually a muscle, physical activity is good for it. Your brain gets stronger when you exercise it, just like muscles get stronger when you exercise them. Learning an exercise routine creates new neuron pathways in the brain. New neuron pathways can support your muscle strength, coordination, sensation, pain, relief and more.
- Watch Your Stress Levels – While good stress acts as a motivator and results from challenging physical activity, psychological stress has very adverse effects on the brain and body. Try hard to reduce stress in your life. Reconsider toxic relationships, which can have both short—and long-term detrimental emotional effects. Try yoga, tai chi, meditation, mindfulness or journaling. Or even take a relaxing stroll in a safe, well-lit area, and be sure to wear good, walkable shoes.
- Pick the Right Fuel for Body and Brain – Older adults should not be dieting. The word diet is not the same as healthy. I associate the term diet with temporary and, often, invoking shame and disappointment because they may have been too restricting or hard to follow. The body and brain benefit from the fuel of proper nutrition and foods
that are good for our health.
Cognitive and Brain Health article by the National institute on aging
Take Extension’s expert advice on older adults and elder health by planning to do the right things for
your brain this month and every month!
