Of all the titles Ross Cortese could have given to the master homeowner association of his Leisure World now Laguna Woods Village, he chose the “Golden Rain Foundation.” If one were to parse the title it could be surmised that “golden” referred to the “golden” years of the prospective residents. “Rain,” well who knows, since we have so little of it, but in actuality, Golden Rain refers to a tree.

Native to Korean, professional arborists call it “Koelreuteria paniculat.”

It is described as having “showy yellow blossoms in early summer followed by papery hanging capsules through October. It adapts to many soil types and tolerates air pollution, drought, and alkalinity.” All good things for Southern California.

Cortese, according to Historical Society reports, saw the tree in New Orleans and ordered 2,700 sent to a nursery in Chino. They were then planted in Seal Beach Leisure World, his first retirement community. Thus, the name of the Foundation.

If you want to see one, head over to Building 117 Via Estrada, and look at the end of Carport 111. It is reportedly, the oldest Golden Rain tree in Laguna Woods Village. When I visited the tree in mid-September there were large clusters of bright yellow flowers hanging from its droopy branches, described as looking like “golden rain.” The yellow flowers are followed by red-purple seed pods. The leaves are lacy and will turn yellow before dropping. By now, the leaves have probably dropped.

Landscaping was a priority with the developer. And trees from all over the world were planted in the community. At one time there were 135 species of trees, according to Historical Society records.

There are many kinds of eucalyptus from Australia along with the bottlebrush. New Zealand is represented by a New Zealand Christmas tree which, since we are on the other side of the world, blossoms in June or July.

The Chinese crepe myrtle is a common tree in the Village, along with the coral tree, from South Africa and orchid tree of India along with the jacaranda, with its vibrant lavender flowers, native to Brazil.

As Laguna Woods Village gets ready to celebrate its 50th anniversary in September 2014, the trees, like its residents, from all parts of the Globe, continue to thrive in the Southern California climate.

Laguna Woods Art Association

Table tennis is one of the sports that can be enjoyed by people of all ages and abilities. The game is played by millions of people across the world from disabled people and folks in retirement homes to school students or business professionals.

On top of the many health benefits it has on your body(losing weight, staying active, reducing cardiovascular risk, etc) it also has a lot of benefits for your brain.

It has been listed as one of the games with the highest rate of brain stimulation. It is the perfect sport for improving your mind’s condition because it has a low injury risk and it puts little stress on your muscles.

Table tennis works the upper body as well as the lower body, it is very aerobic, is great for hand-eye coordination, and it uses many different areas of the brain at once. This is because you have to track the ball’s movement, constantly plan your next move and analyze your opponent’s ones. It is often called chess on steroids.

Question is, what exactly happens when playing table tennis? Our current technology doesn’t allow us to scan the brain while playing but research shows there are a lot of benefits. Dr. Daniel Amen, for example, states that table tennis is one of the best activities you can do to give your brain a workout.

So what are some of these benefits?

1. Develops mental acuity
Mental acuity is the measure of the sharpness levels of the human brain. Alzheimer’s weekly reports that table tennis improves the brain sharpness significantly. After a series of studies done in Japan, they discovered that a normal game increased the blood flow to the brain and reduced the risk of getting dementia. Dementia is a chronic disease that is characterized by memory problems, changes in personality and poor reasoning.

The studies found that older ping pong players tend to improve the function of the frontal lobes of the brain, which regulate decision making, problem-solving, and voluntary movements.

Because you have to calculate the speed, spin and placement of the ball coming at you, usually in under a second, it acts like solving a puzzle and keeps your brain fully engaged.

2. Stimulates your brain
As stated before, playing table tennis stimulates different parts of the brain. The process of anticipating an opponent’s shot, makes the player use the prefrontal cortex of the brain similar to what is used during strategic planning. The aerobics involved during the playing of the game simulates the hippocampus area that enables an individual to create and maintain long-term memories.

The parietal lobes which are responsible for translating sensory information are stimulated through the process of following the ball and reacting to spin.

The more you use your brain the better it will perform. Especially when you get older. Similar to Sudoku and crosswords puzzles, table tennis helps with memory and concentration by stimulating the corresponding brain areas.

3. Develops motor control
The brain’s motor control is the part which human beings use to coordinate movements and activities with the different body parts.

Because of the high speed and unpredictability, you need a lot of mental and physical power to perform well in table tennis. It requires lightning-fast decision making, perfect micro-movements, and precise hand-eye coordination. All of these help with the development and improvement of the cerebellum and the primary motor cortex.

4. Improves your mood

The very first thing that you notice when playing table tennis is that your mood improves. This is because it triggers the increase of neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are chemical substances that enable the transmission of signals and messages across the brain. Increased neurotransmitters levels have been reported to reduce the rate of depression. Various brain functions are regulated by neurotransmitters such as movement, feelings, memory and stress.

5. Boosts memory

The activities involved in table tennis are reported to increase the levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor which is shortly known as BDNF. This component is a protein that promotes the healthy growth of neurons, therefore assisting in preventing diseases such as Alzheimers and Parkinsons.

This BDNF not only assists in the creation of neurons but also helps them survive. In some parts of the brain, the cells you are born with are the same you will die with. However, in the hippocampus region, there is a significant increase of cells numbers throughout your lifetime. The best thing is that physical exercise stimulates this increase and survival of these cells making table tennis a fun way to improve your memory and wit.

7. Enhances balance

When playing table tennis the cerebellum area lights up in your brain. The cerebellum is the part of the brain that is responsible for controlling motor movements. Body balance starts from the brain and it is vital walking, running and other activities. This is crucial especially for the elderly.

8. Increases decision-making skills

Table tennis improves your decision-making skills and enables the player to be better strategists. You have to constantly adapt your plan to your opponent’s weaknesses and constantly think about the next move. Deciding what spin to apply and where to place the ball also contribute greatly to this.

Conclusion

The game has come a long way from the times when it was just a game that you played in your garage with your friends. It is now an Olympic sport and its popularity continues to grow. It has since been recognized for its benefits on the brain and is recommended by medical practitioners in the treatment of Alzheimer’s and Dementia. Neuroscience proves that this game isn’t only a fun activity but also a very beneficial one.

Dr. Wendy Suzuki, Ph.D., professor of neuroscience and psychology at New York University, says the following about the benefits of table tennis: “In table tennis, we have enhanced motor functions, enhanced strategy functions, and enhanced long-term memory functions.”

The benefits of this underrated game can’t go unnoticed anymore and it is without a doubt the best game that can positively affect your physical and mental health while keeping you immensely entertained.

So what are you waiting for join the club and start playing!

Get to Know The Easy Rider System

What prolongs your life or prevents dementia might not be what you expect.

Claudia Kawas, a geriatric neurologist at UC Irvine, has been working on a longitudinal study of people age 90 and older since 2003 called the 90-plus study. Kawas spoke in front of a packed crowd of 200 at the Newport Beach Public Library Monday about what she’s found in her research on what can help a person’s longevity and what can reduce a person’s risk for dementia.

In the U.S. right now, two million people are older than 90. That could hit 10 million by 2050, according to research Kawas highlighted during the lecture.

“We’ve got a real burgeoning group of individuals in this age range and we know very little about them,” Kawas said.

About 30 years ago, USC researchers sent a 14-page questionnaire to residents of Leisure World, now Laguna Woods. About 13,000 people ranging from age 55 to 100 responded, and also answered four follow-up questionnaires about lifestyle, benefit and exercise. About two-thirds were female.

Kawas said the study didn’t show much benefit in taking vitamins A, E, C or calcium for longevity. Tea had no effect, but neither did soda. On the other hand, people who drank modest consumption of alcohol – from one or two drinks a week to one daily drink – seemed to live longer on average. People who also consumed 200 to 400 milligrams of caffeine per day – about one small Starbucks coffee a day – lived longer on average.

A person’s body mass index also had an interesting effect on longevity. Being overweight was a negative until 80, but beyond that age it showed a benefit of a three percent reduction in mortality. And beyond age 80, underweight individuals had a 50 percent increase in mortality.

Exercise, even just an average of 15 minutes per day helped and 45 minutes was the best. Leisure activities – pretty much anything that got people moving – also helped. Kawas said the 90-plus study at UC Irvine was an extension of the questionnaire that aimed to look at quality of life in the oldest population. About 1,600 people older than 90 entered the study, and the researchers began finding out some interesting details.

Beginning at 65, a person’s risk for dementia doubles with every five years of life. Kawas’ research showed that trend continued past 90.

High blood pressure also has an effect on a person’s risk for dementia – but probably not in the way you’d expect. Kawas said that a person who developed hypertension in her 80s or 90s actually saw a reduction in the risk for dementia by as much as 60 percent.

Researchers don’t yet know what causes that phenomenon – it could be the drugs used to treat hypertension, or maybe older populations simply need more pressure on aging blood vessel walls.

“We’re busily untangling all of this right now, because we don’t really know what the reason is,” Kawas said. She’s working to figure out what mechanisms cause that trend.

The Towers provides hotel styled living, monthly membership includes lunch and dinner, basic utilities, weekly housekeeping, free laundry facilities on each floor, 24-hour on-site maintenance and receptionists, on-site activities staff, on-site manager, a library, covered parking, indoor individual storage and on-site exercise classes.

The Towers inside the gates of Laguna Woods Village; a private guard-gated community offering resort style living. Laguna Woods Village is nestled adjacent to the beautiful communities of Laguna Hills and Aliso Viejo. Neighbors include the University of California Irvine, SOKA International University and Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Minutes away are Orange County’s John Wayne Airport and the the Amtrak station in Irvine. A ten-minute car ride will deliver you to the magnificent Pacific Ocean and the charming town of Laguna Beach, with its unique shops, restaurants, and Playhouse as well as its renowned Pageant of the Masters. All are enjoyed in the famous southern California weather. The Towers residents have full use of all Laguna Woods Village facilities. Sorbet Article on The Towers