In an effort to slow or prevent the development of dementia as a person ages studies have shown that engaging in intellectual pursuits and expressing creativity can help. So,Pickup Family Neurosciences Institute’s Orange County Vital Brain Aging Program (OCVBAP) is calling on an unlikely ally in the battle against Alzheimer’s disease: Bugs Bunny.
On Friday, Sept. 19 from 6 to 8 p.m, the OCVBAP and Chuck Jones Center for Creativity will team up for a fun, family-friendly evening to introduce creative pursuits and intellectual activity as a way to prevent the development of dementia as a person ages.
The OCVBAP supports local efforts to help Orange County residents maintain a healthy brain for life, while the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity in Costa Mesa strives to inspire the innate creative genius in every one.
“When you activate a brain area, it works like a muscle – it gets bigger, functions more efficiently. Creative activity activates more brain areas than just about any other kind of activity and might help to prevent damage from various diseases like Alzheimer’s,” said William R. Shankle, M.S., M.D., F.A.C.P., the Judy & Richard Voltmer Endowed Chair in Memory and Cognitive Disorders at Hoag. “Chuck Jones helped create all these iconic characters in our culture: Bugs Bunny, Wile E. Coyote. Using these characters to educate and inspire people to be more creative is an exciting exercise.”
The organizations are particularly interested in reaching the “sandwich generation,” people who don’t normally think about their risk of dementia or ways they can protect themselves in early adulthood from the ravages of progressive cognitive disorders.
Dr. Shankle will present information about the importance of keeping the mind “young” through creative pursuits. Chuck Jones Center for Creativity representatives will offer participants – including children – the opportunity to put that creativity to work at various “creativity stations.” Refreshments will be served.
Hoag Hospital Newport Beach Conference Center, One Hoag Drive, Building 44, in Newport Beach.
Reservations required. To RSVP, call 800-400-HOAG. For more information, visithoag.org/brainhealth.
