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KABC TV Los Angeles

Staying sharp as you age

Denise Dador, reporter

December 19, 2006 -

David Ono: As we get older, some things will start to slip our minds, like phone numbers, names and more importantly when to take our medications.

Ellen Leyva: A new study shows a certain kind of brain training can help elderly people function better in their daily lives. Health specialist Denise Dador joins us now for that story.

Denise Dadore: We all have to exercise our brains…About five million Americans have Alzheimer’s and experts predict that number will more than triple by the year 2050. Preventing memory loss is becoming a top health priority as more and more Americans live well into their 80s.

One local man whose dad had Alzheimer’s hopes his new invention will help seniors stay sharp.

The song is called Chicago the Toddlin' Town. It sounds like fun and games, but 86-year-old Steve Abrahamson is getting a strenuous brain workout.

He and others at the Villa Gardens in Pasadena spend hours on the Dakim (m)Power cognitive fitness system. Dan Michel developed it after his father developed Alzheimer's.

"This is created for seniors. You have to do cognitive training regularly in order for it to work in the long haul," Michel said.

University of Pennsylvania researchers discovered seniors who trained regularly to improve their memory, reasoning and speed of processing performed much better than those who didn't train. And the benefit held up for five years after the training.

"Seniors who engaged in cognitive training reduced their risk of dementia by more than 60 percent," Michel said.

The Dakim (m)Power offers various exercises depending on the participants skill level. As players improve, it adapts and becomes even more challenging. Movies and music from the '30s and the '40s bring back fond memories.

"I can remember in World War II singing and marching. We hated to march but we loved to sing," Abrahamson said.

Researchers say similar benefits can be achieved through any type of learning. Abrahamson believes this kind of cognitive training is absolutely essential.

"It's fun and it's a challenge and it keeps the brain cells going," Abrahamson said.