Some people have insanely good memories.  They can tell a story from decades ago like it just happened yesterday.  But then there are those who unfortunately suffer from a form of dementia where they have a hard time remembering things that happened only momenta ago.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia that often manifests in people aged 65 years and older, though there are cases wherein the onset happens early.

It all starts with simple acts, such as forgetting where you placed an item and having a hard time remembering recent events.  If dementia progresses, a person with Alzheimer’s experience confusion, irritability, aggression, mood swings, trouble with language, and long-term memory loss.  Gradually, bodily functions are lost, ultimately leading to death.

The exact cause of the disease has yet to be determined, and there is no cure for Alzheimer’s, though there are medications that provide palliative relief.  Fortunately there’s ongoing efforts to fight the effects of Alzheimer’s.

September is considered as the World Alzheimer’s month, with the 21st celebrated as World Alzheimer’s Day.

Alzheimer’s can strike anyone, but researchers believe that brain training and eating the right kinds of food could aid in preventative measures.  So even as we’re glued to our mobile devices, we can use them to keep our brains sharp.  Here are a few mobile apps to help you do just that.

Brain Training Apps

Lumosity Mobile

This improves your memory, attention, and overall brain performance with the use of scientific brain workouts.  It offers different daily tests that takes less than 5 minutes to perform.  The tests are quite simple and fun to do so you’ll be training your brain while doing activities that just seem like games.  Tests can be as simple as determining whether shapes are the same, remembering items, exercising spatial recall and more.  The exercises depend on what you want to improve.

Available on: iOS | Web

Brain Training: Focus

This app will help you enhance your concentration skills.  This is a bit tricky, but fun to do.  You may be asked to match the color of the word with it’s name, but there will be distractions thrown your way.  It is recommended to perform eight training sessions daily to improve your focus in just two weeks.

Available on: Android

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mTrainer Pro

This app helps you sharpen our memory skills with card flip games, remembering sequences of numbers and letters, and other memory games.  Each game has 15 levels with increasing amounts of objects for memorization, and each level is played randomly so no worries if you want to play a game over and over.

Available on: iOS

Brain Trainer Special

This app trains your brain with fun games such as math ninja, save ninja, letter sequences, number sequences, memory trainer (pictures), math workout 1 and math workout 2 game modes, math madness, speedy shapes, memory letters, memory numbers, tricky colors, memorize 123, 3D CUBES, target mode, phone numbers, question mode, sudoku and other puzzles that will sharpen your brain in no time.

Available on: Android

Eidetic (Memory Aid)

Eidetic is an app that helps you remember things that are useful to you, like phone numbers, word definitions, facts, and more. It allows you to input details you want to remember, and even plan out when you want to take the tests so you’ll be sure that you’re remembering things even after a few weeks or months.

Available on: iOS

Food for Thought

Studies show that blueberries are packed with anthocyanins that are able to protect against a myriad of human diseases such as Alzheimer’s, and can improve learning and recall.

If you want a healthy and refreshing drink that is able to help enhance your brain, try this recipe:

1 very ripe banana (with plenty of brown speckles)
2 cups frozen frozen blueberries or other fruits such as mangoes, strawberries, banana, orange, and pineapple
1 cup nondairy milk (almond milk or soy milk)

Throw all ingredients in a blender.  Start by pulsating the blender, then gradually crank up the speed as the fruits begin to puree.  No need to add ice since you’ll be using frozen fruits so when you’re all done, it will cool and fresh.

The recipe will produce three cups which is good for two servings. A serving of 1 1/2 cup serving has 190 calories, 2 g protein, 46 g carbohydrate, 35 g sugar, 2 g total fat, 9 percent calories from fat, 5 g fiber, and 79 mg sodium.