Brain Games - Help or Entertainment

Brain games seem to be the rage now, nobody wants dementia or Alzheimer's.  For years we've been working all kinds of word games and puzzles trying to stay sharp mentally.  Is it helping or are we just getting better at working puzzles and word games?

I view this subject as rather like a dog chasing it's tail.  Who knows?  I don't spend a lot of time thinking about it or researching it but I did read an article that made me happy because it agrees with my way of thinking.

I don't particularly like word games or puzzles.  I keep crossword puzzle books in the bathroom, have a word find puzzle on my phone and work jigsaw puzzles on my phone but that's about it for me.

This author seems to think the goal is to keep your mind active, how you do it is your choice.  If you like word games and puzzles, great.  However, you can accomplish just as much by reading books, newspapers, visiting museums, and any other activity that stimulates your mind.

The goal is to stay mentally stimulated.  The brain needs exercise just as our bodies need exercise.  There are many ways to exercise our bodies and many ways to stimulate our brains.

Now I'm going to mark this subject off my list of things to worry about and go merrily on my way doing things I enjoy that stimulate my brain.

Do you do any activities with the goal of keeping your mind sharp?

What Does 75 Tell You

Close your eyes and pretend with me.  Visualize yourself as a doctor about to enter a treatment room where you will be meeting a new patient for the first time.  You see her birthday and know she is 75.  What does that tell you?  Think about that for a moment.

You could open the door to find a nursing home patient accompanied by a family member, a person of compromised mental capacity.

You could open the door and find a woman in a hurry because she's on her way to a League of Women Voters meeting and has other committee meetings to attend that day.

Why then do you suppose so much is assumed by knowing a person's age?  When do we become old?  In the current political campaign we have two candidates pushing 70 and one 75.  Is that old?

When children today hear the word 'grandmother' what picture forms in their mind?

Due to the advanced healthcare available today people are living longer and often in much better physical condition that ever before, but has the world's idea of old changed?

Have you experienced any discrimination because of your age? I can't say that I have.  Of course I've not tried looking for a job. I actually think I've had more positive than negative experiences being in the elder stage of life.

Would you like to see changes in the way people our age are viewed or are you happy just the way things are today?