Being Mindful About Cognitive Health

As the old adage goes, a mind is a terrible thing to waste. As we age, mental acuity and brain structures tend to weaken. The good news is that there are things seniors can do to preserve, or even strengthen cognitive health. By taking steps to ensure healthy cognition, you can preserve a high quality of life and a high level of independence. Taking these measures can also help with maintaining optimal brain function, enhancing several areas of mental, emotional, and physical well-being.

Cognitive health, broadly as a concept, refers to a set of skills that include the basic mental abilities of thinking, studying, learning, and remembering. Cognition refers to the mental process involved in gaining knowledge and comprehension. The higher orders of cognition encompass more developed abilities, like critical thinking, creative thinking, problem-solving and decision-making. The better one is at these tasks, the better their cognitive health is.

Put simply, cognitive health means crisper, sharper thinking. Good cognitive health means one is “in their right mind”, “of sound mind”, or “with it”, essentially meaning their cognitive abilities are intact. The ability to think is obviously important in how we consider and process the world around us. For this reason, the state of an individual’s cognitive health is a key component in overall health.

Cognitive performance is not fixed. Just like a muscle, it can be exercised and improved. While normal aging can impair some function over time, research shows many small changes can be made in one’s daily life to sustain healthy functioning well into old age.