Mind and body need exercise to stay healthy in old age

• Richard Lum remembers their faces, the fear in their eyes, the uncertainty that seemed to follow them through the pharmacy where Lum filled prescriptions and dispensed advice.
• Their memory loss often seemed to go hand in hand with their illnesses, but sometimes, Lum saw the blank looks among his healthy customers.
• Lum, now 71, began noticing that as he eased into the slower pace of retirement, his memory became less sharp, his attention less focused.
• For the past eight months, Lum has been a regular at Connie Lynch's weekly "Mind Works" class offered at the El Cerrito Senior Center.
• There, Lum and others try to solve logic puzzles, sort differently colored and sized tiles, and play word games, figuring that like any other muscle, the brain needs a workout to stay healthy.
• "Baby boomers are very concerned," Lynch says.
• The old memories remain, deeply entrenched and engraved on our brain cells.
• But once we pass age 40, a light fog seems to descend upon us.
• "Old age is not an excuse," Lynch says.
• Research is proving that those who make an effort to exercise their brains and their bodies are strengthening their memories as well as improving their overall health and well-being.
• Dr. Jen Tellier, a neuropsychologist at John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek, said a researcher working with rats exposed the critters to stimulating environments.
• The brain is a complex and fascinating organ, says Susan Colligan, clinical director of neuropsychology, brain injury and research for John Muir/Mt.
• But as we age, the newer memories are apt to be less certain.
• It is when those ingrained memories start to waver that patients -- and their doctors -- become concerned.
• If you believe there is something more than just a little normal fog creeping into your life, see your doctor about it.