Brain Training in the Elderly: Can it Encourage Independent Living?

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Brain Training in the Elderly: Can it Encourage Independent Living?

Written by Malman Law, reviewed by Steve J. Malman.

Researchers are constantly working to find ways to improve the functioning of elderly persons’ brain performances that may encourage future independent living. In recent years, the encouragement of independent living has become a largely discussed topic— more so being that in the next few years, it is expected that nearly 76 million baby boomers will be advancing into retirement. Now, according to new studies and reported by Reuters, brain exercise courses conducted from a federally sponsored trial showed that the adults who took the course had improved three areas of cognitive functioning—processing speed, memory and reasoning ability.

The course of brain exercises helped aging adults to hold onto processing and reasoning skills for 10 years after the course had ended. The trial consisted of almost 3,000 older adults who had an average age of 74.  The trial is called the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly study, or ACTIVE.

The study showed that at the 5 year mark, memory had appeared to drop off over the last 5 years. However, reasoning ability and processing speed seemed to have continued the whole ten years after the training.

The training consisted of 10 to 12 sessions lasting 60 to 75 minutes each. After the five year mark, researchers found that those who had trained performed better in all three areas than those who were untrained.

Reuters stated that the participants reported that they had an easier time handling activities such as, “managing their medications, cooking meals or handling their finances than did participants who did not get the training.”

While this study did show improvement on independent living, it was not meant to be aimed at curing or preventing dementia in the elderly.

The attorneys at Malman Law are always eager to learn of new developments that can improve the quality of life in the elderly.  If you have a legal concern regarding you or your elderly loved one who is being cared for by a facility, call our office today for a free case evaluation and legal advice. 

Steve Malman

Malman Law’s founder Attorney Steven Malman has over 30 years of experience handling personal injury, nursing home, medical malpractice, truck accidents, car accidents, premises liability, construction, and workers’ compensation cases in Chicago, IL.

Years of experience: +30 years
Illinois Registration Status: Active and authorized to practice law—Last Registered Year: 2024

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