AARP program seeks to inform

Think dementia, senior moments or Alzheimer’s disease is inevitable?

Think again.

Seniors wanting to learn more about how to train their brain will definitely want to attend the program called “Gray Matters: Training the Grownup Brain.” This program, which will feature three local experts, will take place Oct. 7 from 5:30-8 p.m. at the Golden Hour Senior Center. Program participants will hear about brain and health nutrition from nutritionist Shauna Erramouspe, they will learn about fitness and brain health from Lorna Lange of Synergy Fitness, while keynote speaker Dr. Melinda Poyer will discuss how the brain works. The event will be hosted by AARP State Director Tim Summers.

“They need to know what to do to keep their brain healthy so that they can have a great quality of life for years,” GHSC executive director Beth Whitman said.

Whitman said Young at Heart Senior Center in Rock Springs put this program on and the response was overwhelming.

More than 300 people attended that event. Because the dining room is limited to 173 people, Whitman is encouraging residents to register early to guarantee their seat.

Whitman said they started communicating with AARP about starting their own community action committee, which was developed and has led to this program.

A lot of Green River seniors were upset that the program was in Rock Springs and they were unable to attend.

Whitman said this was another reason for hosting the program again. That’s why the same speakers who did the Rock Springs program were asked to participate in this one also.

“So this means that they don’t have to travel,” she said.

According to an AARP press release, the program was developed after an AARP National Spelling Bee.

AARP Wyoming employees constantly heard spelling bee attendees talking about whether or not they were doomed to the same fate as others before them, including dementia, senior moments and Alzheimer’s.

The spelling-bee participants told Wyoming AARP representatives that the stats they saw in the media didn’t apply to them.

“They wanted to know if what they were hearing was an inevitable part of aging or if there was something they could do to keep their brain healthy,” the release states.

Around the same time as the spelling bee, the AARP had sent surveys to seniors asking them what topics they wanted to learn the most about.

The biggest response from the seniors was the topic of what to do to keep the brain healthy and as sharp as they can.

“What both groups told us is that they want practical information that they can use on a daily basis, and they want to hear from experts who can tell them the why and how,” the release states. “What we have learned is that these workshops attract an active and engaged group of people, full of questions.”

On Tuesday, the training will have three distinct seminars focusing on aging on the brain, making the right nutritional choices, fitness and wellness for the mind and body.

According to another AARP press release, “increasing evidence shows that healthy lifestyle habits, such as being heart smart, eating a brain-healthy diet, staying physically and mentally active, and staying socially involved contribute to healthier aging and might also decrease your risk for dementias or Alzheimer’s diseases.”

“Participants are often surprised to learn that they can continue to learn as they age and that it’s not inevitable that they will get dementia or Alzheimer’s,” the release states.

Seating is limited to the dinning room, so register as soon as possible by calling the GHSC at 872-3223.