Photos by Chris Meyer Frances Young (left) and Barbara Reichle worked together on a puzzle during a recent visit by an IU continuing studies class to the WonderLab Museum. Jane Bloom does some hands-on work at Bloomington’s WonderLab Museum. One of the simplest ways to create new brain paths is to tap into verbal skills and spatial reasoning. That might mean taking a class, reading a book, solving a puzzle or attending a lecture.

Her typical response? Play brain games.

“Our brains run more smoothly if we continue putting new things in,” said Lorenzen Huber, gerontology curriculum coordinator for Indiana University’s Center on Aging and Aged. She has made issues related to aging her research and community outreach specialty. “It is so important to play with new things, new ideas. The brain doesn’t increase cells as we age, but it can create new paths that make the brain work better.”

According to Huber, one of the simplest ways to create new brain paths is to tap into verbal skills and spatial reasoning. That might mean taking a class, reading a book, solving a puzzle or attending a lecture.

Solving mental challenges “taps into those skills…it’s a lot like drinking fresh orange juice for your brain,” said Huber, an assistant professor at the Department of Recreation and Park Administration, IU School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation. “When you look at cognitive changes that come with age, most are from disuse.”

Teaching folks about stretching their mental muscles was the impetus behind Huber’s continuing studies course, “Brain Teasers: Engage your mind in fun new ways.”

Huber and a group of students—largely comprised of residents from Meadowood Retirement Community—met for a two-session class, discussing the topic of keeping mentally active. The course included a morning session solving conundrums at a puzzle exhibit at WonderLab, a Bloomington hands-on discovery museum.

Not surprising to Huber, the class generated a variety of questions concerning memory loss. The topic is wildly popular. Huber spoke about memory loss at IU’s Mini University a couple years ago. Since then, she has been invited to speak at more than a dozen more events, including a presentation at HPER’s Conference on Aging and Living Well.

Her message: Bad habits lead to forgetfulness.

“We don’t encode information like we did when we were young, like we did as undergrads in college,” Huber said, suggesting that learning memory strategies is a key tool to squash forgetfulness. “If we learn to categorize information, then, when it comes time to call it up, it’s like pulling a document out of the file cabinet.”

The good news?

“Research in memory has shown how trainable older folks are. Yes, reaction time slows, and there are some physical changes in the brain. But learning memory strategies can counter those changes,” she said.

Memory-boosting tips

• Keep a memory notebook: Use external memory aids such as an Outlook calendar or Palm Pilot. “Check out what someone does that you admire and pick up on an idea from how they keep their life organized.”

• Talk to yourself: “When I locked the door, I tell myself ‘I locked the door.’ I don’t have to worry about whether or not I locked the door. I make it methodical.”

• Bundle tasks: Combine routine chores such as “taking your pills with the morning coffee.”

• Drill and routine: Have specific spots around the house for your keys, eyeglasses, pen and pencil. “Do the same thing every time.”

• Remembering lists: Put lists into categories and use them often. “What areas of the grocery store do you shop in? Have a list of the food items in that section. And then, take the list with you every time.”