Train your Brain: Making Life Easier for People with Dementia
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Train your Brain: Making Life Easier for People with Dementia


A recent New York Times article discusses the importance of cognitive rehabilitation to people with dementia.



Cognitive rehabilitation involves strategies to help people with dementia compensate for memory problems through techniques that help with tasks such heating up a meal and keeping track of appointments. Although cognitive rehabilitation cannot reverse the effects of dementia, it can help them improve their ability to perform everyday tasks. In the article, IFA Expert Dr Linda Clare explains that cognitive rehabilitation “evolved from methods used to help people with brain injuries” and can be contacted for more information.


“More and more, people will understand how many preserved abilities there are in dementia” says Eric Salmon, Director of a University of Liege, Belgium memory clinic. These preserved abilities are often referred to as “cognitive reserve” and experts believe that this can be built up across the life course through cognitively stimulating activities. 


Ensuring that brain health is not solely the focus of older people, the Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI), Alzheimer's Association and Alzheimer's Society UK have joined together to launch a new initiative. A public health educational initiative for children aged 6 to 12 years, known as the My Brain Robbie campaign, “aims to fill an educational gap in the field of dementia prevention” through education and an increased global public awareness of the importance of brain health across the lifespan.



The International Federation on Ageing (IFA) in collaboration with DaneAge will be holding the Copenhagen Summit on Cognitive Reserve this year to gain a deeper understanding of potential cognitive reserve models and their benefits, build on the global knowledge network, and encourage policy development and implementation. For more information on cognitive reserve and the Copenhagen Summit, contact IFA Expert Prof Michael Valenzuela, leader of Regenerative Neuroscience Group at the Brain and Mind Research Institute, University of Sydney.