Creative tools for developing cognitive fitness by Martha Grove Hipskind, MSPH

Demographic trends and projections indicate that the likelihood of our living to age 100 is increasing exponentially. And yet, when you ask a group of older adults whether they look forward to such longevity, most condition their responses with one of two immediate qualifiers: “IF I have my health” or “IF I have my mind.”

Having spent 10 years working directly with individual families struggling to understand their loved ones’ dementia, while also speaking and training on topics related to aging, I can say with confidence that fear of losing our memory runs deep. Memory change with age is an area we know little about, and most people are often afraid to ask about it.