Which brain health programs and initiatives are you offering the older adults in your community, and how effective are they? Recent research may help you determine whether or not to reconsider your offerings.
A number of brain health options are currently available to organizations that serve older adults. Many of these are advertised as “evidence based,” meaning that the program’s exercises or suggestions for improving brain health are based on the best available research. However, in many cases, the success of specific brain fitness programs and initiatives themselves has not been formally evaluated. This is beginning to change, with an increasing number of program evaluation studies appearing in the academic literature. Here, I’ll review some recently published research on programs aimed at increasing the brain health of older adults.