Feed Your Head

Navigating Aging Adults Through the Healthcare System

2009-06-25T12:46:00.000-07:00

Listen to the final podcast (audio only) from the Feed Your Head series.

In this 38 minute recording, Dr. Rita Ghatak, Director of Aging Adult Services at Stanford University Medical Center, discusses how caregivers and aging adults can balance medical and community approaches to healthcare problems.

Click to play (AUDIO ONLY)

Take our survey, please!

2009-06-10T16:32:00.000-07:00

We need your input! Along the column on the right are a series of questions that we would like you to answer regarding the series Feed Your Head and about this blog. It will help us plan for the future. Thanks, and check back as we add more audio and video of the programs. The blog will continue!

Walk Your Way to a Great Body and Mind

2009-06-09T18:14:00.001-07:00

Want to improve your posture? Hope to develop a pain-free back?

On May 26, 2009, Esther Gokhale presented ways to achieve these healthy goals in "Walk Your Way to a Great Body and Mind" at the Downtown Library.

If you missed the presentation, you can listen to an audio recording of it right here and enjoy learning about posture and movement.

If you attended the presentation, this recording will refresh your memory of the experience and help you practice the techniques of glide walking and stretch sitting.

Click to play

For more information about Esther Gokhale and the Gokhale Method:

Visit egwellness.com
Read 8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back

Your Doctor and Your Brain

2009-06-04T17:29:00.000-07:00

In "Your Doctor and Your Brain," Dr. Yusra Hussain, geriatric and internal medicine specialist at Stanford Hospital and Clinics, speaks about normal brain function, the risk factors for cognitive decline, and protective mechanisms to prevent or delay cognitive impairment.

This video shows highlights from the talk.

Click To Play

Gone But Not Forgotten

2009-06-03T12:48:00.000-07:00

The last program in the series, an informative talk by Dr. Rita Ghatek on navigating through the health care system, was well attended. The weather was cool, the food, supplied by Whole Foods, was excellent and Peet's Coffee kept the audience warm.

Did you miss any of the programs? We will be adding audio or video of each program in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!

Have you had the opportunity to try out the brain fitness software? It is loaded on two laptops currently at the Downtown Library. The laptops will visit Mitchell Park and Main libraries this summer.

Keep checking back here for further developments!

Dance Your Body, Mind and Spirit

2009-05-27T12:37:00.000-07:00

Did you attend the first program with the wonderful Esther Gokhale on dance? If so, revisit your experience with the highlights video below. And if you weren't able to attend, then watch this highlights video to share the experience.

In this 10 minute version of the presentation, you will hear about the mental and physical benefits of dance, learn some of the fundamentals of samba, and
enjoy a short version of a South Indian dance performance.

Put on your dancing shoes and nourish your body and mind!

Click To Play

Great Presentation, Delicious Food, Good Time!

2009-05-26T16:09:00.000-07:00

This afternoon over 50 people thought the Downtown Library patio was the place to be! Esther Gokhale returned to give the talk "Walk Your Way to a Great Body and Mind". Everyone learned a new way to walk and tips on sitting properly. If you would like to learn more about her methods, book and back cushion, visit the Esther Gokhale Wellness web page.

Next week is the final program with Dr. Rita Ghatak, Director of Aging Adult Services at Stanford Hospital and Clinics. She is presenting "Navigating Aging Adults Through the Healthcare System", which is a topic for any age. This should be a great finale!

We hope to see you there, and remember to register (link on the right).

Lucid at 90+

2009-05-22T12:47:00.000-07:00

Here is an interesting article from the New York Times titled "At the Bridge Table, Clues to a Lucid Old Age". It is part of a series of articles called Brian Power that explores the aging brain.

Next week our series "Feed Your Head" continues with Esther Gokhale, and the registration is full! Please go ahead and get on the waiting list as some have had to cancel. If you are on the waiting list, we will find room for you. Until then, have a great weekend.

Thank You Dr. Hussain!

2009-05-19T14:40:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful afternoon on the patio at Downtown Library. The food was excellent, thanks to Pluto's and Peet's. But it was the speaker, Dr. Yusra Hussain, that made the third Feed Your Head event so, well, eventful! She was an excellent speaker who drew quite a crowd after her talk. She kindly stayed and answered all questions.

Next is the return of Esther Gokhale on May 26. Put this one on your calendar as it is the day after Memorial Day and it will be easy to forget it is Tuesday. Have you registered yet? The sign up is on the right.

See you all there!

Talking to Your Doctor

2009-05-15T10:53:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, May 19 we welcome Dr. Yusra Hussain, from Stanford Hospitals and Clinics, to discuss "Your Doctor and Your Brain." The talk starts at noon at the Downtown Library and is free and open to the public. (Details here.)
To prepare you for this program, we offer a few interesting articles and web sites.

Here are tips for talking to your doctor from the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services.
Another list of tips from the American Heart Association.
Did you know spinach is good brain food AND knocks out cancer?
Looking for something to do this weekend? How about the Mind Body Wellness Program in Sunnyvale? It is free and happening Saturday, May 16. They ask that you register, so visit the web site first. (Note that the Library is not hosting this event, and this is not an endorsement.)

Have a wonderful and healthy weekend. We hope to see you next Tuesday!

Try Out Brain Fitness Software

2009-05-13T16:21:00.000-07:00

We are now offering customers an opportunity to try out state of the art software from Posit Science designed to keep your brain fit! The Brain Fitness Program Classic is available for up to two hours at the Downtown Library with a library card. You can choose to either take the tour of the series, or launch into the full program. Ask at the Downtown Accounts Desk for more information or to check out the laptop. We hope to have this computer at other library locations in the future.

Note that you can't save your place in the full program as other customers will also be trying it. It is for demonstration purposes only.

audio and video of The Gateway to Next Medicine with Dr. Walter Bortz, II, M.D.

2009-05-12T12:53:00.000-07:00

Enjoy the Feed Your Head experience online at your convenience!

Here's the full 42 minute audio recording of the first program in the Feed Your Head series, The Gateway to Next Medicine with Dr. Walter Bortz, II, M.D.

Click to play

Want just the highlights? Then watch the 17 minute video version.

Click To Play

Looking Back, Looking Forward

2009-05-08T14:24:00.000-07:00

Hello All!

At the top of the blog you will see an edited video of the program with Dr. Walter Bortz, held Tuesday, May 5. If you couldn't attend, this is a great way to keep connected from afar. If you were there, it is a great way to remember what you saw and heard.

Did the program touch you? I heard this from my co-worker, Sue Chang - "This program inspired me. I seldom walked to work before, but now I am committed to walking and I feel great! I have so much energy!" Dr. Bortz is an inspiration!

Speaking of inspirations, next week we continue the series with Esther Gokhale, who has traveled the world to see how people maintain strong backs and live pain free regardless of their situations. She will share that knowledge with us and show how dance can be a fun way to keep fit. Don't miss it!

See you next week.

Great Speaker!

2009-05-05T14:53:00.000-07:00

Today's program, with Dr. Bortz and his lovely wife Ruth, was great! He is a fine speaker and an inspiration to anyone of any age. Ruth handled selling his books and playing the perfect hostess. The food was delicious - thanks to Kan Zeman and Peet's Coffee. Those in attendance were enthusiastic - all 40 of them! This is a great beginning! Only the weather didn't cooperate, so we moved inside.

Next up is Esther Gokhale of the Wellness Center. She will show us how dance can keep us young in both mind and body. We hope you can make the next one, which will take place on the patio, weather permitting. Again we will have food and coffee! Registration links are on the right.

Tomorrow is the Kick-Off!

2009-05-04T18:07:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, Tuesday May 5, the kick-off of Feed Your Head: Nourish Your Boomer Brain at the Library begins! Come rain or shine, we begin at noon at the Downtown Library. Dr. Bortz is the first speaker. Check out his web page to learn about this amazing doctor, marathon runner, author and teacher.

Site of the day is http://www.letsgopaloalto.org/ "...an interactive tool to help you keep track of your activity level towards the recommended 10,000 steps per day by recording any form of activity and seeing your progress. It’s fun. Joining up is easy and just takes a minute. Brought to you by the Palo Alto Recreation Foundation and Palo Alto Recreation who want to help you keep active every day!" (from the website.)

We hope to see you tomorrow, and remember, we all start with baby steps.

Disease Mapping is Fascinating!

2009-04-29T16:39:00.000-07:00

"A computer model of epidemiological data from 1.5 million people illuminates the genetic origins of many common diseases."

Here is an interesting article on the inter-relationship between different diseases and conditions, such as migraines and infections. This research may lead to breakthroughs in treating or preventing a variety of conditions that affect how we age.

First Up, Dr. Walter Bortz

2009-04-20T15:42:00.000-07:00

The first speaker in the series is Dr. Walter Bortz, II M.D. who is an associate professor at Stanford and author of numerous books on aging and health. Two are on the subject of living to be 100 - and staying healthy to enjoy it! Perhaps you want to pick up a copy before May 5, when he speaks. Click on a title below to check the library catalog.

Welcome to the Feed Your Head Blog

2009-04-14T13:10:00.000-07:00

In three weeks the Palo Alto City Library will begin a series of programs called "Feed Your Head: Nourish Your Boomer Brain at the Library".

5 programs from experts in the field of aging and health.
Noon time with healthy snacks provided
Central Downtown Library location
All this, FREE!
You can read the news item here for speakers and program descriptions.

If you are interested in this series or topic, and you would like to get more information, please sign up to receive this blog. You will get an update once or twice a week during the next 7 weeks. The link to sign up is on the right.

Programs begin May 5. Stay tuned for more information.

This series is funded in part by an LSTA Grant from the State Library.