A34 - North Shore News - Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Rotary Seawalk / RunGORDON HARMON MEMORIAL

The Gordon Harmon Memorial Rotary 10km Run will start atThe Village at Park Royal, through Ambleside Park and the

Centennial Seawalk to Dundarave. Return by the same route to Ambleside Park and finish at The Village at Park Royal. The Rotary

5km Walk will take place concurrently with the same start and finish at the Village of Park Royal and will follow part of the Run

course. The Rotary 10km Run is sanctioned, measured and certified by B.C. Amateur Athletics Association.

Sunday, May 29, 2011 • 7:30 AM

CHARITY FUNDRAISER

Rotary Club of West Vancouver

Net Proceeds to Rotary Charitable Projects

10km Run & 5km Walk

Go to www.seawalkrun.com for secure online registration.

Fax:604-294-9924

Mail:Rotary Club of West Vancouver

P.O. Box 91341, West Vancouver, BC V7V 3N9

REGISTRATION

PRESENTING SPONSOR

PLATINUM SPONSOR

SILVER SPONSOR

BRONZE SPONSORS

IN KIND SPONSORS

Broadway Moving

Good 4 U Drinks

Osaka Markets

Freedom Fitness

Aqua PaintingBeaver Buzz

Plan X Architecture

SUPPORTERS

Grosvenor ElectricMira Floors

Make sure you include your contact information.

DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES: DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES: June 1, 2011.

Entrants should be in Grades K-7. Top three fi nalists will get their photos and entries published in the North Shore News.

GRAND PRIZE: GRAND PRIZE: La-z-boy Recliner (value $1,000)

PRESENTED BY

June 11, 2011June 11, 2011Park Royal SouthPark Royal South

Grandparent of the Year

C O N T E S THere is your chance to have your favourite grandparent get recognized for all the wonderful things they do! Here’s how to enter: Here’s how to enter: Take one of the 24-hour Sustainablity Challenges with your grandparent and then write to tell us about it in two paragraphs.

• Use public transport — when you normally take the car.

• Take a trip to the museum, go for a walk or enjoy a game of chess instead of watching TV.

• Go grocery shopping and buy only local products to help reduce your carbon footprint.

Drop off entries to: Drop off entries to: North Shore Credit Union North Shore Credit Union LONSDALE BRANCH: LONSDALE BRANCH: 1100 Lonsdale Avenue, North Vancouver

PARK ROYAL VILLAGE BRANCH: PARK ROYAL VILLAGE BRANCH: 815 Main Street, West Vancouver

Or email to: Or email to: contest@nsnews.com. contest@nsnews.com. Subject: GRANDPARENT Subject: GRANDPARENT

Produced by: Home Care Assistance and Christine Monaghan

Go to www.theagingrevolution.com for more information.

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The Next 5050

Manisha Krishnanmkrishnan@nsnews.com

THESE days, it’s just as important to work out your brain as it is to go for that daily jog.

The population of B.C. is aging — about 13 per cent are 65 and over right now, and that number will grow to 23 per cent by 2036, and the North Shore is older than average.

That’s why it makes sense

that Canada’s fi rst brain fi tness retail store recently opened in West Vancouver.

Nognz Brain Fitness offers consumers a range of products and activities that are designed to stimulate the fi ve key brain functions: memory, word skills, coordination, critical thinking and focus.

Owner Penny Wilson, who has spent the last 30 years working in technology, came up with the idea after being exposed to research that proved that

brain cells could be restored. “It made me realize that

people don’t really understand. They continue to think of the old paradigm, which is just as you age, you slowly lose your brain cells. . . . It’s now only in the last 10 years that they have proven that in fact you can rebuild your brain cells,” says Wilson.

She then teamed up with Dr. Justin Davis, a neuroscientist who has participated in a number of public and privately funded research projects about the central nervous system.

“When I fi nished my PhD at UBC I realized there is a disconnect between all the fantastic research that’s being done by all the scientists at UBC, SFU and around the world with what everyday people understand about their brain,” says Davis, who is now the scientifi c director and product manager at Nognz.

“It’s my goal to be a knowledge translator. I want to be the type of person who can make that information accessible to everyday consumers and people so that they can learn about what’s best for them and

Get smart: how to rebuild your brain cells

NEWS photo Cindy Goodman

NOGNZ founder Penny Wilson, left, plays a memory fi tness game called Q-bitz,with Dr. Cirelle Rosenblatt, Michael Morgan and Dr. Justin Davis. The gamecombines visual spatial perception and memory. See Brain page 35

Wednesday, May 25, 2011 - North Shore News - A35

A recent study by the Home Instead Senior Care network revealed many adults aren’t well prepared for a senior in their life to face a health crisis.

Among the fi ndings of the study, which surveyed “future care givers,” were some interesting statistics about medications: ■ 51 per cent can’t name any medications their parents take daily; ■ 52 per cent who say their parents have allergies to medications can’t name these allergies;

■ 76 per cent can’t name their parents’ blood type.

According to the study, the average age of these future caregivers is 54, and two-thirds of them (or 66 per cent), are either employed full-time or self-employed. As for the health risks and challenges faced by their senior parents, the future caregivers say:■ 59 per cent of their senior parents have at least two medical or health conditions, the most common being high blood pressure, arthritis, problems with mobility, heart disease and diabetes;■ 43 per cent of senior parents take three

or more prescriptions, over-the-counter medications and supplements each day; ■ 36 per cent of senior parents have three or more factors that put them at risk for medication-related problems; ■ 23 per cent of senior parents have been hospitalized in the past year.

Pronica Janikowski, of the Canadian Society of Consultant Pharmacists, says that (people) should be proactive and check what their parents are taking before a crisis happens.

For more information, visit www.homeinstead.com.

As you might have read in the recent acknowledgement in the North Shore

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The Next 5050

tell your community about your upcoming eventsemail editor@nsnews.com

their brain health.” Part of his job description

is to scour the different brain games and software out there to fi nd the ones that are the most clinically validated and fun.

A couple of Nognz’s top sellers include Q-bits, which combines visual spatial perception and memory, and Stacking Cups, a simple game that involves stacking and unstacking cups in various patterns by getting both hands to work together.

“You can improve by manual

coordination and manual dexterity as well as those fi ne motor skills that you need to have,” says Davis, adding young aspiring hockey players should take note.

Older adults tend to gravitate towards memory boosting and brain fi tness software, he says.

While certain games can be recommended for those suffering from Alzheimer’s or dementia, they cannot serve as a cure for the disease. But there are activities that can help those dealing with other challenges such as attention defi cit disorder or brain injuries.

In addition, Nognz’s “brain

bar” offers edibles that are good for the brain, such as green tea, purple juices, dark chocolate and nuts. In-store activities include bridge classes, memory boot camps and meditation classes, which start next month.

“It’s all about the experience here at Nognz. We want people to come in and try these products out, have a hands-on experience and fi nd the ones that are best for them,” says Davis.

They’ve also created an interactive online experience that allows visitors to create a personalized brain health plan, set up a daily goal tracker and fi nd brain buddies interested in

playing the same games. So far, the feedback from the

community has been positive, according to Wilson.

“It was a good place, I felt, to test the market because it is an aging population,” she says, adding there are defi nitely plans for expansion in the works.

“I would like to become the Running Room of brain fi tness. It would be my hope in the next fi ve years that you would fi nd Nognz brain fi tness across the country.”

Upcoming events at Nognz include Family Games Night, Friday, May 27, 6 p.m.; and Learn to Meditate with Padma, starting Thursday, June 9, 9 a.m. The store is located at 1517 Bellevue Ave., West Vancouver.

Brain Bar offers tempting ediblesFrom page 34

Track mom and dad’s medications