Dr. Gene D. Cohen - Do We Get Smarter As We Age

The Mature Mind: The Positive Power of the Aging Brain

Do people over a certain age necessarily loose mental acuity? According to Dr. Gene Cohen, the answer is “no.” Dr. Cohen, a psychiatrist and gerontologist has determined that certain genes are activated by experience as we age, allowing our personalities to grow and change. The brain has reserves of strength and agility that compensate for the effects of aging on its other parts. Dr. Cohen has found that the information processing justify in the 60 to 80 year old brain achieves it’s greatest density and reach. He explains these and other developing concepts in brain research in his book “The Mature Mind: The Positive Power of the Aging Brain.” I spoke with Dr. Cohen in March 2006 from his office in the justify on Aging, Health & Humanities, in Washington D.C., where he is the director. We began our conversation with his description of the importance of the role of creativity.

Gene Cohen recommends “Tuesdays with Morrie: A Young Man, An Old Man, and Life’s Greatest Lesson,” by Mitch Albom.

Originally Broadcast: April 18, 2006

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Christina Baldwin - Creating Community through Stories

Storycatcher: Making Sense of Our Lives though the Power and Practice of Story

Story, the heart of language. Story moves us to love and hate and can motivate us to change the whole course of our life. Story can lift us beyond the borders of our individuality to imagine realities of other people, times and places, to empathize with other beings, and to extend our supposing far into the universe. Storytelling, both oral and written is the foundation of being human. In this edition of Radio Curious we visit with Christina Baldwin, author of “Storycatcher: Making Sense of Our Lives though the Power and Practice of Story.” This is being done in Ukiah, California, with the idea of capturing “what is the story of Ukiah,” as a part of “what is the story of Mendocino County, California,” to be used in the development of the Ukiah Area Plan that is now under consideration by the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors.

Christina Baldwin recommends “Turning To One Another: Simple Conversations to Restore Our Hope for the Future,” by Margaret J. Wheatley.

Originally Broadcast: April 17, 2006

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Dr. Dan Gottlieb - A Struggle to Live

Letters to Sam: A Grandfather’s Lessons on Love, Loss and the Gifts of Life

For many of us, the desire to be known exceeds our desire to be loved. Who we are as individuals, how we reckon with our personal abilities and disabilities the topic of this edition of Radio Curious: a conversation with my friend Dr. Dan Gottlieb. Dan Gottlieb, a clinical psychologist who lives and works near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has been paralyzed from the neck down as a result of an automobile accident in 1979. He’s the host of “Voices in the Family,” a weekly public radio program originating from WHYY in Philadelphia and the author of two articles a month in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Because of his physical condition, Dan thought he may not live to see his young grandson Sam grow to be man. When Sam was diagnosed with a severe form of autism several years ago, Dan decided to write a series of letters to his grandson. The book, “Letters to Sam: A Grandfather’s Lessons on Love, Loss and the Gifts of Life,” is a collection of intimate and compassionate letters sharing Dan thoughts, observations and experiences gained from his 27 years with quadriplegia and his professional life as a clinical psychologist. You may learn more about Dan and his work at www.drdangottlieb.com. Dr. Dan Gottlieb and I visited by phone from his home in near Philadelphia in mid April 2006.

www.drdangottlieb.com

Dr. Dan Gottlieb recommends “Eat, Pray and Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything, Across Italy, India and Indonesia,” by Elizabeth Gilbert and “Life of Pi,” by Yann Martel.

Originally Broadcast: April 12, 2006

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