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BRAIN HEALTH: KEEPING YOUR MIND SHARP AS YOU AGE

State events in June focus on the ‘Six Pillars’

Elaine S. Povich

AARP Bulletin

Published May 01, 2026

Group of people, senior man playing cards with friends in nursing home.

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When the wife of a friend of Paul Singh died from dementia, Singh saw his friend withdraw, lose touch with other companions and hardly leave his house. The friend just sat around his home and watched TV.

Singh, 66, an AARP volunteer in Northern Virginia, was worried his friend’s brain might deteriorate, too, so he encouraged him to join a senior center. He did. And now, Singh sees more engagement and zest for life in his friend.

“He’s laughing and having fun,” Singh says. Socializing and other activities stimulate the brain and are part of AARP’s Six Pillars of Brain Health— keys to keeping your brain healthy just as you strive to keep your body fit and strong.

Singh leads brain health seminars for AARP Virginia and calls it the “use it or lose it” method.

“My goal is to make it so you learn something every day,” he says.

AARP Virginia is focusing on brain health in June, with free workshops and seminars like Singh’s aimed at sharing understandable and trustworthy information on how to keep your brain functioning efficiently and accurately.

The events are designed for older adults who want to get information about healthy aging, including brain wellness and how to adhere to the Six Pillars. Those pillars include exercise, social activities, learning new things and managing stress, as well as eating and sleeping well.

The goal is to learn how to stay “sharp, safe and confident,” says Ginger Thompson, communications director for AARP Virginia.

SUSTAINING COGNITION

The Six Pillars were formulated using scientific studies of brain health to back up each point, says Juan Rodriguez, AARP’s vice president of policy and brain health. He says many of the Six Pillars are also good for heart health and address risks for cancer and diabetes.

“When we take care of our bodies, we take care of our brains,” Rodriguez says. There are many studies showing that the Six Pillars lifestyle changes can contribute to brain health, and an overall study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association last year concluded that regular, intense adherence to these principles made a difference in sustaining cognition and health.

The study involved two similar groups. The first participated in structured exercise, a healthy diet, cognitive challenges, social events and cardiovascular health monitoring. The second involved a less structured, self-guided program. While both groups improved their thinking over two years, the structured program led to slightly greater gains, especially for people who started out with lower cognitive scores, the study concluded.

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“The activities in the pillars help support brain health by helping to reduce inflammation, improve blood flow to the brain, maintain the blood-brain barrier and help build up cognitive reserve,” Rodriguez says.

“One thing that’s [also] important ... is managing chronic conditions, specifically high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes,” he adds. “All these conditions can slowly, over time, impact the brain.”

Another key to brain health is happiness, Singh says. In his seminars, he talks about the “GIFT” method for coping with stress and turning anxious times into less stressful ones. In one scenario about getting a speeding ticket, he spells out the GIFT method: So, G is for grateful, be grateful that you have a car because some people don’t. I stands for improvement, so learn the lesson and improve your driving. F stands for fact, so check the speed limit yourself, and find people, maybe a lawyer, who can help. And T stands for time, which helps you to heal and grow from the incident.

“All your processing is done in your brain,” Singh says. “So if you turn your problems into a gift, you have less stress, then you have more brain power to handle things.”

Dolores Cole, a resident of Alexandria, also conducts brain health sessions for AARP. Cole watched her husband decline and die from dementia and says it was a severely painful time in her life. Following the Six Pillars could have helped him, she believes.

Cole says most of her appearances are at civic groups or other organizations where people come together. That means they usually have the socialization pillar covered, says Cole, a retired federal senior executive. But the one pillar that surprises them is that good sleep is important for brain health.

Being able to brag that you only need three or four hours of sleep is not healthy, Cole says.

AARP Virginia has several brain health seminars in June, including in-person events in Richmond, Roanoke, Virginia Beach and Prince William County, as well as a webinar. For information, go to aarp.org/va.

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Six Pillars of Brain Health

Be Social – Strong friendships strengthen your brain and bolster emotional well-being.
Engage Your Brain – Keep learning new things and be curious about the world.
Manage Stress – Incorporate mindfulness into your days to bring balance to your life.
Exercise – Activity helps keep your mind engaged.
Get Quality Sleep – Good sleep brings more vitality and boosts the immune system.
Eat Healthy Food – Prepare and consume tasty, healthy meals and snacks.

Elaine S. Povich is a Maryland resident and freelance journalist who has reported for newspapers, including Newsday and the Chicago Tribune, and for various magazines.