July 2017

I experimented with using a software package called Atom that required quite a bit of work to learn HTML and found it took a long time to learn so I switched to Word Press.  I found it much easier to set up the site.  I used the NameCheap site to set up a domain name and an email address but the NameCheap site was not very easy to set up.  I retrospect it might have been easier to start with WordPress than end with WordPress.

June 2017

I was recruited for two clinical trials at UBC. The first trial was the Compass Study which is collecting data on people over several years, including behaviour, cognition, MRI, blood tests and DNA. They objective of the study is to find biomarkers for dementia. It was a very onerous volunteer job. I had three all day sessions at UBC while they asked me 100’s of questions about what I did as a child to testing my sense of smell. It was a lot of work, boring and tiring. You don’t get any results from the assessments unless they find something abnormal and then they alert your MD. The second study I was recruited for the FITBRAIN study .  This is a randomized control trial of a computer based cognitive training program. I as randomized to the control group so I don’t have to play the game. Those who got recruited to the intervention have to play the software for an hour a day 5 days a week. The group that I am in meets at Vancouver General Hospital for an hour three times a week for either education, word games or exercises. The education sessions so far have been about goal setting, mindfullness, neurogeneration and sleep. I am using some of the resources from the education sessions for this website. The exercises are excellent. They include core strengthening, balance and stretching. Since VGH is close to where I live I can walk to the sessions so it gives me some structure to three days of my week and I get in 5000 steps. This is also the first time I have been in a room with 20 other people the same age as me or older. It’s like looking getting older in the face. it’s been a good way to transition into the retirement social set.