Esin Gumustekin, UCLA, Founder of BEI
Esin was inspired to act on the conclusions from neuroscientist, Dr. Ryuta Kawashima’s, novel study in Japan. It has been suggested that doing simple math and reading aloud for 30 minutes a day, 5 times a week, resulted in significant improvements for those with Alzheimer’s. These mentally stimulating activities activated the prefrontal cortex, the portion of the brain where memory, cognition and planning are controlled. Participants who read aloud and did basic arithmetic saw growth in many ways, including many began to feel happier and improvements in communication and cognition. With this success, the simple activities have been included in senior center programs in over 1400 care centers with over 15,000 patients in Japan.
The Brain Exercise Initiative is Esin’s contribution in expanding the program in the United States by getting students involved with serving the senior community in their cities. Now BEI has grown to 35 chapters in 4 countries and continues to make an impact on both students and the seniors in retirement homes.
Read more about Esin’s Story What We Do
Read more about Dr. Kawashima’s research Brain training turns back your cognitive clock