2008-08-25

Covell Gardens residents give their minds a good workout

Instructor Michael Hirsch explains the rules of a mentally challenging puzzle to students in a Brain Gymnasium class on Wednesday at Atria Covell Gardens. Hirsch founded the Brain Gymnasium program to help seniors keep their minds and memory sharp. Photo by Sue Cockrell, The Davis Enterprise

By Jane Seo
Enterprise staff writer

What would the date be three days after two days before yesterday's tomorrow?

So begins the weekly Brain Gymnasium class at Atria Covell Gardens, a retirement community at 1111 Alvarado Ave. in Davis.

Gathered around a table, six senior citizens close their eyes and concentrate. Some wince in frustration as they attempt to solve the tricky riddle, while others gloat in confidence as they jot down the answer.

After perusing the room, Michael Hirsch, the founder of Brain Gymnasium, carefully explains the process that leads to the answer. The senior citizens nod in unison as the complicated riddle unfolds before them and becomes more approachable.

And that was only the warm-up.

Why it's needed

The Brain Gymnasium provides a program of regular brain-strengthening exercises designed to help protect the memory and minds of senior citizens from the effects of normal aging. The class focuses on enhancing different parts of the memory and thinking systems through various activities and puzzles, along with practicing techniques for remembering. All are done in a supportive group setting.

"The brain, like the body, needs exercise to remain agile and strong," Hirsch said. "With specific types of brain exercise, the mental decline associated with normal aging can be modified."

The hourlong class is offered to Atria Covell Gardens residents who have not been diagnosed with dementia. The Brain Gymnasium welcomes the public to visit and watch one of its three weekly sessions at 6:30 p.m. Mondays and 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Wednesdays. For more information, call (530) 756-0700.

According to a poll by Research America, 62 percent of people said they feared losing mental capacity with age, compared to 31 percent who feared losing physical capacity.

Adrienne Drummond-Hay, 87, a three-year resident of Covell Gardens, is an active Brain Gymnasium participant.

As a former math teacher, Drummond-Hay has always loved puzzles. In fact, she searches the newspaper and magazines on a daily basis for crossword and
Sudoku puzzles, as well as other types of brain-stimulating activities.

"I naturally like the class," she said, mentioning her neurologist son-in-law who also recommends the class. "You know, it never hurts to do anything you can do
to keep your brain active," Drummond-Hay said.

Across the table from Drummond-Hay, Lillian Lantz, also 87, diligently works on this week's "homeplay."

"I wanted to keep my brain active," Lantz said, "and the class makes me sit and think."

"As you get older, you get used to people doing things for you, but I wanted to do things for myself," Lantz added.

The idea of a brain exercise class for senior citizens blossomed in Hirsch's mind about eight years ago, when his mother developed dementia and eventually passed away. After experiencing the devastating effect and the agonizing process of her dementia, Hirsch decided "to do something about it."

"When people come to me and say, 'I can tell the Brain Gymnasium makes a difference,' it really inspires me. It's just great to see them vital, active and concerned about their brains. I see so much life inside them," Hirsch said.

How it works

The typical structure for Brain Gymnasium includes a brief warm-up followed by a variety of activities and puzzles.

One of the exercises is the number game. Hirsch divides the group into two teams then unravels the complex rules.

One at a time, each team will count the numbers from one to 100. But here is the challenge: Every time a team reaches a number containing a five or is divisible by five, the participant must say "Medicare." The same rule applies to the number seven, in which the participant says, "Social Security."

For the second team, however, the rule is the exact opposite: They say "Social Security" for any number containing a five or
divisible by five and "Medicare" for a number associated with
seven.

If one team falters, it's the other team's turn in the spotlight.

As though these rules aren't already complicated enough, Hirsch adds another twist: The rule reverses every time the team rotates. The participants groan as Hirsch makes an analogy to life.

"In life, the rules always change. Nothing is dependable. The key to this exercise is to be aware of and adapt to the changes in life."

Hirsch offers a tip to both teams: Don't listen to the other group.

"As we get older, we tend to get more distracted by irrelevant details," he explained.

As the game commences, it proves to be a challenge involving three distinct skills: arithmetic, short-term memory and the ability to keep track of numbers.

Change it up

According to Hirsch, the key to preserving the mind is to challenge it with novel activities, while continuing to make changes and modify rules.

"If we keep repeating the same exercises, the challenge ceases," he said, transitioning to the next game, which involves a deck of cards. Hirsch tells the group a specific color pattern, such as "a red following two blacks" or "a black between two reds."

Hirsch then shuffles the deck of cards and reads the jumbled color sequence out loud. The senior citizens busily mark the paper every time Hirsch repeats the specific color pattern.

This game requires the seniors to translate the color sequence to a more audible pattern. In this case, every time Hirsch says "black, black, red" or "red, black, red," the seniors mark the paper.

At the end of each session, Hirsch hands out stapled sheets of paper. He calls them "homeplay," as opposed to "homework."

"It's preferable to think of what we do as play rather than work," Hirsch explained. The activities for the week's "homeplay" are somewhat reminiscent of questions that appear on IQ tests.

"We're not looking for the right answer but brain exercise," Hirsch said. "In Brain Gymnasium, thinking is what we're looking for."

Now it's your turn to do some thinking: What would the date be three days after two days before yesterday's tomorrow?