Webinar: Learn about the Six Pillars of Brain Health

Adrian Allotey takes socializing seriously. In addition to seeing family and friends, she signs up for regular dinners with six other people—all strangers—in her Middlesex County community.

“It’s just about meeting people and seeing what you all have in common and having a great conversation,” says Allotey, 53, who works with patients suffering from dementia and other conditions in her job as an elder care doula.

Allotey will lead one of two “Brain Health 101” webinars, both scheduled for Wednesday, April 9. They will focus on AARP’s Six Pillars of Brain Health.

The first pillar? Be social. The others are exercising, managing stress, engaging your brain, getting restorative sleep and eating right.

The free sessions, sponsored by AARP New Jersey, will be offered from noon to 1 p.m. and again from 7 to 8 p.m. The presentations will delve into the science behind brain health and the changing nature of our brains, as well as how everyday behaviors in the six different areas can keep our brains healthy and engaged for as long as possible.

Allotey says she hopes the presentations will empower people to think about the factors in their lives that they have control over and can work on to get—and stay—cognitively healthy.

The April sessions are part of a broader series of virtual Speakers Bureau presentations from AARP New Jersey this year, hosted every other month. Future webinars will focus on fraud prevention, downsizing and decluttering, social isolation, public benefits for older adults and caregiving.

Curt Springstead, 72, an AARP volunteer and co-chair of the Speakers Bureau, says the brain health sessions generally begin with some background about how scientists’ understanding of the brain’s plasticity has changed dramatically in recent years. Rather than just decay as we age, the brain can change, adapt and grow, he notes.

“In fact, your brain keeps growing until you’re gone,” says Springstead, a retired IT professional. “So now there are things that we can encourage people to do to give them the best function for the longest period of time.”

For details on the brain health session and others, go to aarp.org/nj and click on Events.