We can now Build a Better Brain

Dr.Mary Zemansky spoke to the support group in Valparaiso on Wednesday evening. It was wonderful to have such a knowledgeable speaker join us. She spoke on Cognitive Rehabilitation. This is extremely important for not only those who have suffered a traumatic brain injury, but also those who are aging or whose medications have caused some cognitive dulling. You can teach an old brain new tricks or at least make it better able to recall the ones you have already taught it.

Dr.Zemansky spoke about retraining attention which consists of four basic steps. Orientation- remembering simple things like your name, age, date.
Selective attention- blocking out stimuli
Alternating attention- multitasking
Divided attention- doing 2 or more things at once. This is the one that your brain has to train the most for.
Rote Practice is the best way to accomplish these things. That is what we learned in third grade...repeat and review until you have it down. Your brain has to practice to get better at remembering. Keeping your brain active is the best training. Reading, word searches, crossword puzzles, and games are all great for keeping your brain healthy. The older we get the longer it will take to learn things and sometimes to remember them, but practice and patience will prevail.