On Friday, October 9th at East Ridge at Cutler Bay, guests will have a first-hand opportunity to learn the secrets behind “super-agers” and the fine art of aging well.
During a special Lunch and Learn presentation, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Dr. David Loewenstein, Ph.D., ABPP will share secrets and ongoing research behind “super-agers”, the term describing
older adults who are cognitively active and socially engaged and successful aging. If you would like to attend, please call 305-256-3564 for a reservation.
Dr. Loewenstein is a Professor at the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and Director of Neuropsychology at the University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine. Recently, a longitudinal study of normal and cognitive aging received a $2.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health and is being conducted over five years involving 300 seniors. University of Miami was the only recipient to receive a grant for investigating novel cognitive measures in detection of abnormal and abnormal cognitive decline.
East Ridge residents are participating in the study and Dr. Loewenstein finds the residents are very receptive to being part of a scientific study that will help future generations.
“They are a group of well-educated seniors who are very engaged and active and care about science,” he said. “Many East Ridge residents fall into the study’s category known as ‘super-agers.’ These are people who show little or no symptoms of cognitive decline despite their chronological age.”
Seniors in Miami-Dade County are being recruited to participate in the study as well. Criteria to participate in the study include participants who are free from psychological problems such as depression and alcohol abuse or have not suffered a stroke or other neurological damage. In addition to the “super agers”, some participants may have mild cognitive impairment putting them at risk for Alzheimer’s disease while others may have pre-mild cognitive impairment but don’t show clear evidence of memory decline.
The longitudinal study focuses on the early detection of early cognitive impairment with emphasis on the early detection of the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.
“If we are able to pick up memory disorders earlier and years before current tests now detect, treatments can be offered which are more effective,” said Dr. Loewenstein. “Currently, by the time detection can take place, so much impairment in the brain has already taken place.”
East Ridge at Cutler Bay is located at 19301 SW 87th Avenue. The community is Miami-Dade County’s only all-inclusive senior lifestyle community. Now undergoing an extensive $70 million expansion incorporating a new Health Center, the community will offer private assisted living apartments including studio suites and one- and two-bedroom residences as well as a new memory care facility, skilled nursing and rehabilitation services.
The community draws from the rich neighborhood charm of suburban Cutler Bay and the vibrancy of Miami in a lush tropical environment of 76 acres. For more information, please call (305) 256-3564 for a personal tour or visit www.EastRidgeAtCutlerBay.com.
