| Here are a few highlights from the RESDC General Membership Meeting that took place at St. Paul's Senior Services in Chula Vista on August 22.
Our first presenter was Pat Mosteller, the department chair of the San Diego Continuing Education (SDCE) Emeritus Program (https://sdce.edu/emeritus). 
Pat did a wonderful presentation on the Brain Fitness Program, which helps older adults maintain and regain memory, brain processing speed, focus, attention, and cognitive skills. The Brain Fitness Program at SDCE is a series of brain-training exercises that you do online on a computer, tablet, or smartphone. They’re easy to learn, but powerfully effective. Pat’s presentation touched on the following areas related to the Brain Fitness classes offered at SDCE:
- The Science of Brain Plasticity
- Root Causes of Cognitive Performance and Decline
- Compensatory Strategies vs. Neuroplastic Changes - Neuroplastic changes are the idea that your brain can form new neural connections to prevent future problems or even to make up for ones that are lost due to a brain injury like a concussion or a disease like Alzheimer’s.
Our second presenter, Joaquin Anguera presented on “Celebrating Aging: Making Aging and Old Age Fashionable.” 
Joaquin worked at Aging and Independence Services for 30 years and then went on to teach Gerontology at SDSU for 15 years. He is now a Governor appointed member of the California Commission on Aging. Major points covered by Joaquin included:
- Can individuals and society find meaning in the necessity of growing old?
- Who are older adults and what can they, if anything, contribute to society?
- Why do most people try to avoid old age? Anti-aging remedies and surgeries.
- We have not done a good job of presenting the positive aspects of aging.
- What do we need to do to change society’s views and ourselves?
- In summary: Aging is inevitable, complex and fascinating.
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