Keep your brain nimble as you age: Older people can protect their minds by breaking a mental sweat

[13 May 2007 - MSNBC] ... "People are saying, 'I want to live long, but I want to do it on my terms,'" says Michael Patterson, who runs the brain fitness program Staying Sharp, a joint project of the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives and NRTA: AARP's Educator Community. "They're saying, 'I could live with a little bit of physical decline, but I don't want any decline in my cognitive abilities. So what can I do about it?'" That's a question scores should be asking. It's estimated that about 5.1 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease, including 4.9 million people age 65 and older. The Alzheimer's Association predicts that by 2050, the number of people age 65 and over with Alzheimer's could range from 11 million to 16 million, unless science finds a way to prevent or treat the disease. Those are scary numbers, particularly for an aging generation of baby boomers. More