Al Scudieri likes to do a crossword puzzle every day to help keep his mind sharp. 

"They make you remember things you thought you forgot. They move them to the forefront of your mind again," Scudieri said.

He’s like a machine reading off the clues and filling in the spaces, one after the other.

“Block. Blank. Kick. Hmmmm, what could that be?” he pondered, quickly answering with, “That! Block that kick.”

Scudieri says he likes the intellectual challenge newspaper puzzles provide, because they get progressively harder as the week goes on. 

“If you do a Monday crossword puzzle, it’s easy,” he said. “It gets a little tougher on Tuesday and tougher on Wednesday. By the time you get to Saturday, it’s impossible,” he laughed.

Challenging the Brain

University of South Florida Memory Clinic Administrator and Clinical Trial Director Yvonne Bannon says challenging your brain is key.

"Things that involve strategy, like playing chess or playing bridge, those types of things, because they're never quite the same," Bannon said, adding, “Get those neurons firing in the brain in different areas.”

Whether it's cards, puzzles, or computer games, one thing to keep in mind is to make sure it’s somewhat difficult for you.  If it's too easy, you don't get the same benefit.

"Once you master it, move on," Bannon said.

Learn New Skills

Learning a new skill is one of the best memory boosters, because it forces you to use new parts of your brain.

"We move our hips and our hands," said Judy Kelly, a USF Memory Clinic patient, demonstrating how to do a hula dance.

Kelly started taking Hawaiian dance lessons to help improve her memory and says the physical and mental challenge seems to be working.

"You have to do one thing with your feet, your hands, your hips," Kelly said. “You have to think on many, many different levels.”

Scudieri also plays the guitar, enjoying the challenge of learning new music.

“Remembering the sequences, where to put your fingers, remembering how hard to press, and things like that,” he explained.

Memory Loss

Bannon says we all have difficulty remembering things now and then—where you put your keys, someone’s name, or an appointment. Generally, it’s nothing to worry about.

“As we get older, we typically do have what we call ‘senior moments’,” she said chuckling, “and that’s perfectly fine. There’s nothing unusual about that.”

However, when forgetfulness begins to impact your daily life, Bannon says it’s time to get checked out.

The USF Memory Clinic offers free memory screenings. She recommends that anyone over age 65 get a memory screening just to establish a baseline.

It’s a simple test, where you’re asked a series of questions, which progress in difficulty. For example, things like identifying a picture of an animal, comparing the similarities between objects, and repeating a list of words.

Obesity and a sedentary lifestyle are risk factors for Alzheimer's, but, remember, those are things in your control, so get moving. Studies have shown that even changing one of these risk factors can help delay the onset of dementia.

Live Healthy

Most important to keeping your brain healthy is starting with the basics. Live a healthy life.

“Sleep is very important,” Bannon explained.  “Make sure you get a good night’s sleep, eat a good well balanced diet, get enough physical exercise, and be engaged socially—those are all important factors in retaining brain function," she said.

Certain “brain foods” are believed to give your memory a boost, including:

  • Nuts
  • Seeds
  • Dark-colored fruits — like blueberries, avocados, and blackberries
  • Vegetables, like spinach and bell peppers
  • Salmon

Vitamins & Supplements

We see lots of vitamins and supplements on the shelf at the pharmacy that claim to help memory. Could it be as simple as taking a pill?

Some evidence suggests that some vitamins and supplements can help. Things like B12, if you have a deficiency, or Omega 3’s, like DHA, have been shown to help with memory response time.

Bannon says the USF Memory Clinic is in the midst of a study on what they call a “medical food” to see if it helps people with mild, cognitive impairment. They are testing an Omega 3 base with some DHA added. If you have interest in being part of the study, you can call the clinic at 1-813-974-7006.

Whether you learn a new skill, do puzzles, brain games, or exercise, it doesn't take a lot of money to keep your brain fit, but it does take effort. So challenge yourself and enjoy the benefits.

“Best advice, be a life-long learner,” said Bannon. “Take a class, join a book club, play cards, get involved in things.”

And if you need proof that it works, look no further than folks like Al Scudieri.

“Hardly a challenging crossword puzzle goes by that I don’t pick up something I didn’t know before,” Scudieri said. “I would encourage everyone to give crosswords a try!”