A34 - North Shore News - Wednesday, May 25, 2011
The Next
50
Get smart: how to rebuild your brain cells Manisha Krishnan
that Canada’s first brain fitness retail store recently opened in West Vancouver. Nognz Brain Fitness offers consumers a range of products and activities that are designed to stimulate the five key brain functions: memory, word skills, coordination, critical thinking and focus. Owner Penny Wilson, who has spent the last 30 years working in technology, came up with the idea after being exposed to research that proved that
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brain cells could be restored. “It made me realize that people don’t really understand. They continue to think of the old paradigm, which is just as you age, you slowly lose your brain cells. . . . It’s now only in the last 10 years that they have proven that in fact you can rebuild your brain cells,” says Wilson. She then teamed up with Dr. Justin Davis, a neuroscientist who has participated in a number of public and privately funded research projects about the central nervous system. “When I finished my PhD at UBC I realized there is a disconnect between all the fantastic research that’s being done by all the scientists at UBC, SFU and around the world with what everyday people understand about their brain,” says Davis, who is now the scientific director and product manager at Nognz. “It’s my goal to be a knowledge translator. I want to be the type of person who can make that information accessible to everyday consumers and people so that they can learn about what’s best for them and
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See Brain page 35
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THESE days, it’s just as important to work out your brain as it is to go for that daily jog. The population of B.C. is aging — about 13 per cent are 65 and over right now, and that number will grow to 23 per cent by 2036, and the North Shore is older than average. That’s why it makes sense
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NEWS photo Cindy Goodman
NOGNZ founder Penny Wilson, left, plays a memory fitness game called Q-bitz, with Dr. Cirelle Rosenblatt, Michael Morgan and Dr. Justin Davis. The game combines visual spatial perception and memory.
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Here is your chance to have your favourite grandparent get recognized for all the wonderful things they do! Here’s how to enter: Take one of the 24-hour Sustainablity Challenges with your grandparent and then write to tell us about it in two paragraphs. • Use public transport — when you normally take the car. • Take a trip to the museum, go for a walk or enjoy a game of chess instead of watching TV. • Go grocery shopping and buy only local products to help reduce your carbon footprint.
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Sunday, May 29, 2011 • 7:30 AM The Gordon Harmon Memorial Rotary 10km Run will start at The Village at Park Royal, through Ambleside Park and the Centennial Seawalk to Dundarave. Return by the same route to Ambleside Park and finish at The Village at Park Royal. The Rotary 5km Walk will take place concurrently with the same start and finish at the Village of Park Royal and will follow part of the Run course. The Rotary 10km Run is sanctioned, measured and certified by B.C. Amateur Athletics Association.
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Wednesday, May 25, 2011 - North Shore News - A35
The Next
50
Happy Father’s Day!
Track mom and dad’s medications Among the findings of the study, which surveyed “future care givers,” were some interesting statistics about medications: ■ 51 per cent can’t name any medications their parents take daily; ■ 52 per cent who say their parents have allergies to medications can’t name these allergies;
■ 76 per cent can’t name their parents’ blood type. According to the study, the average age of these future caregivers is 54, and twothirds of them (or 66 per cent), are either employed full-time or self-employed. As for the health risks and challenges faced by their senior parents, the future caregivers say: ■ 59 per cent of their senior parents have at least two medical or health conditions, the most common being high blood pressure, arthritis, problems with mobility, heart disease and diabetes; ■ 43 per cent of senior parents take three
or more prescriptions, over-the-counter medications and supplements each day; ■ 36 per cent of senior parents have three or more factors that put them at risk for medication-related problems; ■ 23 per cent of senior parents have been hospitalized in the past year. Pronica Janikowski, of the Canadian Society of Consultant Pharmacists, says that (people) should be proactive and check what their parents are taking before a crisis happens. For more information, visit www. homeinstead.com.
Brain Bar offers tempting edibles From page 34 their brain health.” Part of his job description is to scour the different brain games and software out there to find the ones that are the most clinically validated and fun. A couple of Nognz’s top sellers include Q-bits, which combines visual spatial perception and memory, and Stacking Cups, a simple game that involves stacking and unstacking cups in various patterns by getting both hands to work together. “You can improve by manual
coordination and manual dexterity as well as those fine motor skills that you need to have,” says Davis, adding young aspiring hockey players should take note. Older adults tend to gravitate towards memory boosting and brain fitness software, he says. While certain games can be recommended for those suffering from Alzheimer’s or dementia, they cannot serve as a cure for the disease. But there are activities that can help those dealing with other challenges such as attention deficit disorder or brain injuries. In addition, Nognz’s “brain
bar” offers edibles that are good for the brain, such as green tea, purple juices, dark chocolate and nuts. In-store activities include bridge classes, memory boot camps and meditation classes, which start next month. “It’s all about the experience here at Nognz. We want people to come in and try these products out, have a hands-on experience and find the ones that are best for them,” says Davis. They’ve also created an interactive online experience that allows visitors to create a personalized brain health plan, set up a daily goal tracker and find brain buddies interested in
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playing the same games. So far, the feedback from the community has been positive, according to Wilson. “It was a good place, I felt, to test the market because it is an aging population,” she says, adding there are definitely plans for expansion in the works. “I would like to become the Running Room of brain fitness. It would be my hope in the next five years that you would find Nognz brain fitness across the country.” Upcoming events at Nognz include Family Games Night, Friday, May 27, 6 p.m.; and Learn to Meditate with Padma, starting Thursday, June 9, 9 a.m. The store is located at 1517 Bellevue Ave., West Vancouver.
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