The Healthy Aging & Memory Clinic is currently engaging in research in three primary areas:
Understanding the Brain
There has been an extraordinary explosion of information about the brain in the last 20 years. One of the most exciting insights we have gained is that each of us forms new brain cells all the time. The brain changes itself depending on the effort put out by the patient or the individual, and also the environment that the person is in. The brain actually remaps itself everyday to some degree. At the Healthy Aging & Memory Clinic, we are using this knowledge to develop ways in which we can make our brains better, even in the face of these dementing disorders. Especially if we have the chance to fight these diseases early on.
Preventive Medicine & Wellness in the Nursing Home
There is tremendous potential to save literally billions of dollars in health care costs each year if our approach to caring for the aging in nursing homes were to focus more on prevention and wellness. Research conducted on a limited scale to date by The Healthy Aging & Memory Clinic has demonstrated that a comprehensive program of wellness activities and preventive medicine practices, coupled with timely intervention for acute problems, can reduce the number fo falls and fractures, cut down on unnecessary trips to the emergency room, and greatly enhance the quality of life for seniors living in these homes. The resulting savings in hospital and Medicare costs, when extrapolated across a aide range of senior care faciities, could be enormous, at a time when the country is focused on health care savings.
Healthy Aging
The single most important thing we can do for patients from midlife and beyond in terms of improvement is to help them live a healthy lifestyle. The Healthy Aging & Memory Clinic has developed an innovatve approach -- 10 Pillars of Healthy Aging -- which includes a 12-week process to help individuals change their lifestyles and achive dramatic improvements in their healthcare scores. We continue to pursue research initiatives in this area to demonstrate further how simple changes can make a significant difference in the lives of seniors and those who will someday be seniors.