With the Fall season now in full swing, and many of us back out and about exploring our cultural passions, it’s exciting to consider the theater and dance performances, music events, and art exhibitions that await us. In fact, there’s new research that underscores the value of access to such cultural opportunities for protecting us against the inevitable cognitive decline that can accompany old age. Using the term “cognability,” these researchers have created an interactive map that you can use to determine how much your own neighborhood provides the necessary “cognability” to support healthy brain aging. So pull out your local map and click here to find out more.

But many of us may not be so out and about. Finances or mobility problems may limit our travel for cultural excursions or concern about Covid may leave us reluctant to be among crowds. The good news is that we now have research data that supports the value of “virtual trips” to museums as being beneficial for the physical and mental well-being of older adults. With the findings published in Frontiers in Medicine, researchers from the University of Montreal determined that regular, weekly online 45-minute “visits” to museum exhibits led to “significant” improvement in the social isolation, well-being, quality of life, and frailty assessment of adults over age 65. In fact, the results were so promising that the researchers exclaimed, “On a global scale, this participatory art-based activity could become a model that could be offered in museums and arts institutions worldwide to promote active and healthy aging.” To find out more, click here and here.

Fortunately, many of the major museums around the world offer online tours of both their permanent collections and seasonal exhibits. Whether it’s the Louvre in Paris or the Met in New York, you can see some of the world’s great art without leaving your home and boost your cognition, well-being, and art knowledge in the process. For a range of recommendations, take a look at the suggestions here, here, and here.