THRIVING IN TIMES OF STRUGGLE

Comments? Send me a text message. In the previous episode we looked at how to assess risk and protective factors that impact brain health. In this episode we propose a similar system for assessing mental control and flexibility. We propose a set of disciplines that affect our ability to manage our minds.  We begin by discussing the characteristics we would look for in an effective list of cognitiv...

Comments? Send me a text message. The “A” in MAPS represents Assessments. In this episode we do a quick review of Motivation, as covered in the first two episodes of the MAPS Series and discuss how motivation and assessments go hand-in-hand. To motivate ourselves to take action to protect our brains, we need to understand what strengthens and protects them as well as what puts them at risk.  In th...

Comments? Send me a text message. As discussed in the previous episode, you need big picture motivation to stimulate broad goals, like the decision to take action to protect your brain and nurture your mind. The core objective of the MAPS method is to motivate and empower you to develop your own brain health action plan, complete with specific strategies and tactics.  Just as you need big picture...

Comments? Send me a text message. The M in the acronym MAPS stands for Motivation. It takes motivation to initiate and then sustain the behavior changes needed to protect your brain and enhance your mental capacity. Therefore, the first step in your journey towards brain health is to ramp up your motivation to take action.  In this episode we help you investigate your “big picture” motivation. The...

Comments? Send me a text message. This episode starts a new series of podcasts that focus on the MINDRAMP's MAPS Method . The earlier Introduction to MINDRAMP series of podcasts introduced the concept of Qualongevity (longevity + quality-of-life) and reviewed the scientific theories that provide the foundation for the MINDRAMP Approach to brain health and mental flourishing. The MAPS series m...

Comments? Send me a text message. In this Science Update episode, MINDRAMP reviews two new research reports. One adds to our understanding of why what is good for the heart is good for the brain. The second piece of research reinforces the evidence that higher levels of education provide protection against cognitive decline, even across racial lines.    Support the show If you want to support my w...

Comments? Send me a text message. MINDRAMP makes the seemingly audacious statement that you have the power to design your own brain. You have the power to shape the structure and function of your brain to be healthier, more resilient and better able to resist disease. You have the power to keep your mind sharp and to increase your mind's ability to think creatively and adaptively. What gives...

Comments? Send me a text message. Let's say you have decided to do some work to protect your brain from cognitive decline and dementia. What kind of programs or interventions should you use? This episode reviews MINDRAMP's analysis of the type of brain health programs that work and why.  In short, the evidence shows that effective brain health interventions focus on:  PREVENTION - effect...

Comments? Send me a text message. This episode, excerpted from a radio interview Roger and I did with Robin Gunn in Oklahoma city, focuses on The Nun Study and the subsequent development of the cognitive reserve theory. Certain people seem to be protected from dementia in spite of having the plaques and tangles that are associated with dementia pathologies. The reserve theory posits that things li...

Comments? Send me a text message. Roger and I had the opportunity to be interviewed by Robin Gunn on her radio show in Oklahoma City. Robin is the editor of The Oklahoma Senior Journal in OKC, and since 2017 has hosted a Saturday morning talk show on KZLS The Eagle 🦅 1640 Am, the top country music radio station in OKC.  Robin chatted with us about MINDRAMP's approach to brain health and abou...

Comments? Send me a text message. This episode reviews The Hero's Journey as described by mythologist Joseph Campbell in his classic book, THE HERO WITH A THOUSAND FACES. Campbell argues that every culture in the world has a core myth that speaks to the developmental transformations all human beings undergo in the course of their life. We connect the stages of the hero's journey with the...

Comments? Send me a text message. In this episode, we ask you whether you want to live to be 100 years old? Your answer tells you something about how you think about old age. Qualongevity is the term that describes not only living long, but also learning to live well as we age. We explore both aspects of this concept - longevity and quality of life.  Support the show If you want to support my work...

Comments? Send me a text message. How can you optimize your chances of living long and living well? By 1) protecting and strengthening your brain; and, 2) by mindfully managing the workings of your mind. In this introductory episode, we introduce you to two new words that play a big role in the MINDRAMP Method for promoting healthy brains and creative minds. The first word we invented is ' Qu...

Comments? Send me a text message. The COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated the isolation of older adults. Physical distancing and stay-at-home policies are necessary, but subject older adults to loneliness and loss of meaningful engagement that can jeopardize their cognitive and psychological wellbeing.  How can you care for an older adult effectively when you are physically distanced from them?  MINDR...

Comments? Send me a text message. A wise maxim instructs that when you give someone a fish they eat tonight, but when you teach them to fish , they eat for a lifetime. In that spirit, the VCAD training offers numerous ideas for virtual activities. These samples are to be used as models and exemplars to stimulate your creative thinking.  The best activities – the ones that are most engaging and sti...

Comments? Send me a text message. The VCAD approach is grounded and inspired by MINDRAMP’s Cognitive Activity Design program and by our work to promote healthy brains and sharp minds. This podcast gives a short review of the core principles that guide MINDRAMP’s work. We have spent close to two decades studying brain and mind sciences to determine the most effective approaches to promote brain hea...

Comments? Send me a text message. This episode takes a closer look at the eight essential CogWheels of Brain Health. MINDRAMP has been monitoring and tracking brain and mind research for two decades. We have focused our attention on the factors that impact the health and wellbeing of our brains and minds as we grow older.  The evidence points to eight behavioral areas that have a profound impact o...

Comments? Send me a text message. This podcast reviews how MINDRAMP'S CogWheels of Brain Health can be used to lower the risks and and amplify the protective factors for premature aging, cognitive decline and dementia.   Scientific evidence has indicated for some time that a “risk-management” approach is the most effective way to protect your brain from damage and decline. The approach simple...

Comments? Send me a text message. This podcast explores some of the important principles that make activities for older adults effective and engaging   What factors contribute to making activities with older adults engaging and fun? What kind of activities promote health and protect against dementia?   Roger Anunsen, co-founder of MINDRAMP, developed an activity approach called MemAerobics that wa...

Comments? Send me a text message. This podcast reviews MINDRAMP's analysis of the creative process.  The goal of the VCAD Project is to equip you with the tools you need to create your own, virtual activities. As discussed in the podcast on “Your Creative Responsibilities,” we offer a few plug-and-play ideas but encourage you to invent your own activities. Use our guiding principles to stimul...

Comments? Send me a text message. My favorite book on the process of idea generation is Serious Creativity by Edward DeBono. One of the creative thinking devices invented by DeBono is the use of creative provocations. Debono invented the word “po” in 1968 to symbolize the process of engaging in a creative provocation.  A provocation is a “forward use” statement. It is designed to propel your creat...

Comments? Send me a text message. Creative productivity is largely a question of volume. The more ideas you can generate and test, the more likely you are to come up with one that is truly novel and useful.  Brainstorming , or “ideation” if you want to sound hip, is a familiar technique for generating creative ideas. My experience with brainstorming, however, has been disappointing. I don’t think...

Comments? Send me a text message. MINDRAMP’s Creative Cycle (described in an earlier podcast) suggests that the full creative process has four major phases, Imagination, Idea Generation, Implementation and Evaluation. You start by imagining some kind of new condition that will make things better. Then you produce ideas about how to make that condition come into being.  The purpose of idea generati...

Comments? Send me a text message. You need to assess virtual capabilities before you can effectively move into the world of virtual communications.  First, you need to assess your own capabilities. Identify what virtual equipment you have and know how to use. Then, you have to assess the virtual capability of the people in remote locations that you want to communicate with. Identify their virtual...

Comments? Send me a text message. Use your assessment of the virtual communication capabilities of your staff and of your audience to identify gaps.  Identify and prioritize the knowledge and skills that are critical for your staff. Identify the skills needed by your audience to get everyone up to speed on, at least, basic levels of virtual communication.  Then, develop specific plans to undertake...