Mental Aerobics: 'Brain Play' for those who enjoy a mental challenge,and are interested in maintaining ability to creatively problem solveand perhaps connect a few new dendrites.

Mental Aerobics is my own idea, developed in 1993 while I was working as a mental health counselor in a senior center, for use with older adults in a group setting. Older adults tend to be biased against other elders; they often refuse to go to the activities at the senior center because they don't want to be around those 'old people'! Older people sometimes mistakenly believe that other older people are 'senile' and boring. I designed this program to prove to older adults that they, and their peers, can still think creatively ad positively, and enjoy doing it.

Mental Aerobics is fun! At the time I created it, I was an Odyssey of the Mind coach. I tried using some of the same concepts of thinking outside the box, and spontaneous problem solving with a group of older adults, and they loved it! An expected side effect of Mental Aerobics has been the opportunity for older adults who participate in the sessions to meet and mingle with other like-minded senior citizens, and develop social relationships outside the sessions.

"Mental Aerobics presents various types of brain games to be solved in a group setting of superannuated adults.Those with an abundance of years are encouraged to believe in their continuing ability to problem solve by their own successful performances." -Dr. Bert Hayslip

Academic Studies

Mental Aerobics has been studied in a formal academic setting three times. The first study was published in 1999 in Educational Gerontology: an International Journal, Vol 25, #1, "Mental Aerobics: Exercises for the Mind in Later Life", Kay Paggi & Bert Hayslip.

Bert Hayslip, PhD, is a Regents Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of North Texas, has been intrigued by the concepts of Mental Aerobics from its inception. After the initial publication, he obtained a grant to study Mental Aerobics during the academic year 2004-2005. The goal was to determine whether Mental Aerobics has a measurable positive effect on the participants. The study participants were community dwelling older adults who cme into the sessions from their homes.

Upon statistical analysis the resulting data supported evidence that Mental Aerobics was found to have a positive effect on the participants cognitive skills and their confidence in their skills, and a corresponding positive effect on the quality of their lives.

The study was designed with half of the participants in a control group that did not participant in the study, and half randomly assigned to participate in a 6-week Mental Aerobics workshop. Both groups were given surveys to complete at the beginning and the end of the collection period. Those surveys were analyzed to determine what effects participation in Mental Aerobics had on the participants. The youngest participant among the groups was 59 and the oldest was 78; the midpoint was age 71.

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MENTAL AEROBICS - Kay Paggi - Professional Geriatric Care ...