Cognitive decline impacts millions of Americans and might seem impossible to fight. After all, decreased mental sharpness is a “part of aging” for many people. However, “cognitive testing” and “brain training” have hit the news cycle lately. Some experts say these tools can help gauge and improve your cognitive strength and mental health. The boosts they offer to your cognitive health and brain health may be significant.
At A Cognitive Connection, we work with people in Colorado Springs, CO, who are interested in improving cognitive skills and enhancing mental abilities. Using these powerful cognitive tools and therapies, we can help you fight your cognitive decline. With our help, you can halt and even reverse minor and severe cognitive losses and regain your cognitive strength.
Before working with us (or trying these steps on your own), it’s important to know their benefits and advantages and carefully plan your treatment with our team to avoid potential issues. We’ll walk you through every step of this process, helping you better understand these tools and therapies and decide whether or not they’re right for you or someone you love.
What is Cognitive Testing?
Before jumping into the advantages of these processes, let’s step back and define both cognitive testing and brain training. According to the Cleveland Clinic, cognitive tests are “short, quick tests to check how well your brain is functioning.”
They’re not diagnostic tools but are instead designed to gauge whether you have a cognition problem in the first place. Typical cognitive tests include answering simple questions and performance tasks, like:
- Stating your name, the time, and your location
- Recalling a short list of items after reading it a few times
- Spelling common five-letter words forward and backward
- Remember objects or sounds shared minutes before the test
- Describing an event from your distant past
- Analyzing abstract thinking concepts (such as explaining proverbs)
- Understanding simple math and language problems
These might seem like pretty basic things to do, but that’s kind of the point. If your cognitive health and brain health are strong, you should answer these questions with no problems. If you do, thankfully, you don’t have any cognitive issues to worry about.
Anyone struggling with them might need to focus on improving cognitive skills and enhancing mental abilities through brain training tools. These can help boost cognitive strength and mental health and halt or reverse some cognitive decline problems.
How Does Brain Training Help Colorado Springs, CO Residents?
Training your brain sounds exactly like using cognitive tools and therapies to manage cognitive issues. For example, A Cognitive Connection can help Colorado residents by finding fun online games, puzzles, thought experiments, and other cognitive tools and therapies that can keep your brain strong. We’ll pair cognitive testing with your brain training to ensure you get the benefits and advantages you need for your cognitive health.
Does it actually work, though? Well, most studies say “yes.” In one, “Brain Training Games Enhance Cognitive Function in Healthy Subjects,” researchers found that brain games and other activities provided real cognitive health benefits. These activities helped prevent loss and even enhanced mental health.
Meanwhile, the scientists who wrote “Brain training using cognitive apps can improve cognitive performance and processing speed in older adults” state that senior citizens receive tangible cognitive boosts with brain training apps. In a population that regularly struggles with cognitive issues, that’s a huge benefit.
Before coming to us for your brain health, it’s important to know some activities designed to improve cognitive skills and enhance mental abilities. You’ll be pleasantly surprised to learn how easy it is to train your brain! Just a few activities to try include:
- Meditation keeps your brain calm and boosts mental health
- Visualizing unique worlds and adventures to enhance cognitive strength
- Playing games like checkers, cards, chess, Sudoku, or even video games
- Socializing with others, learning new skills, and boosting your vocabulary
- Engaging in regular exercises, such as dancing and Tai Chi
- Sleeping more regularly to minimize fatigue-related cognitive decline
These simple activities are just a start. At A Cognitive Connection, our team can provide more in-depth and powerful solutions for your brain. We can help Colorado Springs, CO, residents find the cognitive tools and therapies they need, including advanced testing and treatment.
If you live in Colorado and worry about your cognitive health, it’s a good idea to learn more about the tangible benefits of trying out these processes. In the next section, we’ll break them down so you can decide whether they’re the right step for your needs.
Brain Training Benefits From Our Team at A Cognitive Connection
While you can always download cognitive training apps and tests on your phone, A Cognitive Connection can help you by providing more guided and professional-level support. Our team of brain scientists understand these processes deeply and can ensure you get the proper help.
In this way, working with us solidifies the benefits of brain training and cognitive testing and helps you feel better about yourself. These processes:
- Enhance Abstract Thinking: Regular brain games can help improve abstract thinking by forcing you to think uniquely. Sudoku is perfect for this skill because you must make oblique logical leaps to complete many puzzles.
- Boost Your Memory: Learning new skills and languages can boost your memory by forcing you to use it more often. For example, vocabulary activities when practicing new languages can enhance your memory and make it easier to remember tougher information.
- Increase Brain Plasticity: Neuroplasticity refers to your brain’s adaptability to new information. As you age, neuroplasticity naturally decreases, especially if you stop trying to grow. Brain training activities keep those old neurons firing and improve your mental flexibility.
- Learn New Skills: Practicing the piano, learning to paint, or even becoming a dancer can enhance your cognitive strength and fight cognitive decline by teaching your brain new skills. Your mind loves to learn, so feed it with new abilities!
- Better Mental Health: In various studies, researchers have discovered that boosting cognitive health enhances most people’s mental health. Think about it like this: increased confidence in your abilities will naturally make you feel better about yourself.
These advantages make cognitive testing and brain training smart tools for your cognitive health. Our process typically starts with cognitive tests. We’ll provide you with a battery of exams to spot potential problems and help us find the right path toward treatment.
If we find any signs of cognitive decline, we’ll diagnose the problem and train your brain. We’ll pick fun activities that you enjoy to boost your cognitive strength. Many can be done at home, so you can easily practice them wherever possible, including at home or on vacation.
Call Us at A Cognitive Connection to Start Your Brain Training
If you’re ready to try cognitive testing and brain training to improve your cognitive health and brain health, A Cognitive Connection is here for you! We can help residents of Colorado Springs, CO, by improving cognitive skills and mental abilities with the best cognitive tools and therapies.
Don’t hesitate to call us at (719) 358-6637 to rebuild your cognitive strength and fight cognitive decline in your life. The benefits and advantages to your brain and mental health are too high to ignore. You can also contact us online to set up your first session.
