Cognitive Activity Design: Designing Creative Activities and Art-Based Projects That Promote Brain Health and Flourishing
Cognitive Activity Design: Designing Creative Activities and Art-Based Projects That Promote Brain Health and Flourishing
Overview
Learn the principles of Cognitive Activity Design, how to design and implement activities for adults that promote their cognitive wellness.
Cognitive wellness is determined by two key factors. First, cognitive wellness is supported by “brain health,” the health and proper functioning of the brain. Second, cognitive wellness is dependent upon our ability to “flourish,” our capacity to experience pleasure, meaning and purpose in life. We achieve cognitive wellness when our healthy brain uses its cognitive capacity to effectively cope with challenges and to nurture positive mindsets that enhance our ability to experience fulfillment and joy.
You will learn how to design cognitive activities that integrate evidence-based principles drawn from the fields of neuroscience, cognitive aging and positive psychology. You will also read case studies of cognitive activities created by the authors that provide concrete examples of innovative approaches to activity design. Each case study is reverse-engineered to extract key techniques and approaches that result in a design tool-kit you can use when designing your activities. The second section of the book focuses on art-based cognitive activities. We examine the unique characteristics of various art domains and explore how they can promote brain health and flourishing.
Cognitive Activity Design is written for anyone who creates, schedules, supports and leads activities for older adults (and people of any age). It is written for practitioners, administrators and educators. It is also written for anyone who wants to enhance his or her own cognitive wellness.
The basic premise is that any activity (formal or informal) provides an opportunity to combat cognitive decline, mental stagnation and negative emotions. Our brains are remarkably plastic and responsive to environmental stimuli and the people around us. Every purposeful activity with older adults, particularly people living in traditional group settings, can and should be designed to counter cognitive decline. Engaging people in activities that stimulate the growth and resilience of their cognitive functions achieve this goal. Every activity should encourage and promote positive attitudes as well as nurture positive relationships. The book reviews the sciences of brain health and positive psychology and shows how to integrate proven interventions into your activities.
The final section of the book offers a series of articles that explore the scientific and theoretical background for the practical advice offered in first two sections. This section is intended for those of you who want to dig deeper into the science and explore some creative speculation about the nature of art and cognitive wellness.
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940151844154 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Michael C. Patterson |
| Publication date: | 03/24/2015 |
| Sold by: | Smashwords |
| Format: | eBook |
| File size: | 258 KB |
About the Author
Michael C. Patterson and Roger Anunsen are brain health strategists. They are co-founders of MINDRAMP CONSULTING which provides clients with dynamic educational programs, presentations, training workshops and consultation designed promote brain health and enhance mental development through creativity and the arts.
Michael is an author, educator, writer, speaker and gerontologist specializing in brain health, creativity, the arts and longevity. Patterson is an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University where he has taught courses on the prevention and treatment of dementia, and the creative arts and brain health. He is an executive board member for the National Center for Creative Aging and serves on numerous advisory boards including the Research Center for Arts & Culture. Patterson ran the award-winning Staying Sharp brain health program at AARP developed numerous projects for PBS and was a founding member, actor and director with the Bear Republic Theater.
Roger Anunsen hosts the cable TV series “Your mindRAMP to Brain Health,” is the creator of MemAerobics©, Animal Congregations© Cards and Memory Mining© and teaches a college gerontology course in Portland, Oregon entitled: “The Mature Mind.” He was appointed as a voting delegate to the 2005 White House Conference on Aging, has designed brain wellness programs as a consultant for AARP and is a multiple-year presenter at the ASA-NCoA and McGinty Alzheimer’s Conferences. Anunsen’s educational methods were presented at the inaugural Global Conference on Aging at Oxford, UK.
Roger Anunsen is a brain health education and program consultant based in Oregon where he teaches college gerontology courses in Portland, Oregon including “The Aging Mind” and “Cognitive Activity Design.” Roger is a founder and co-principal in MINDRAMP Consulting that provides brain health and wellness events, programs and educational courses.
Roger is also the creator of the MemAerobics©, Memory Mining©, TasteAerobics©, Animal Congregations© and other cognitive intervention programs, hosted “This is Your Brain on . . .”, a pilot cable series and joined Dr. Bill Thomas on his 2014 Second Wind Tour. Roger was appointed a voting delegate to the White House Conference on Aging, and presented “The MINDRAMP Method©” at the "First Global Conference on Ageing" at the University of Oxford. This educational method was developed over the past decade of "hands-on" experience teaching older adults and health care professionals how to apply the latest breakthroughs from neuroscience.
Roger and his MINDRAMP partner Michael C. Patterson are multiple-time presenters at national and regional conferences including the ASA/NCoA, LeadingAge and conducted a sold-out seven-hour brain health seminar at the Smithsonian Institution.