Brain Exercise Initiative

Brain Exercise Initiative's founder is UCLA student Esin Gumustekin. She first became fascinated with Alzheimer’s Disease while interning at Samumed, a biotech company focused on developing medicine for a wide range of diseases, including Alzheimer’s Disease. In the course of researching, Esin came upon studies done in Japan regarding the power of math exercises and reading aloud on Alzheimer’s patients. Neuroscientist Dr. Ryuta Kawashima found that doing simple math and reading aloud for just 30 minutes a day, 5 times a week, caused marked improvements for those with Alzheimer’s. Many began to feel happier and improved in communication and cognition. Others showed improvements in their physical health after months of brain exercises.

Drawing from this research, Esin was inspired to create Brain Exercise Initiative, an intergenerational nonprofit in which university students would hold brain exercise programs at retirement homes. There are currently 35 chapters across 4 countries in which seniors and Alzheimer’s patients work through packets of simple math, writing and reading with the assistance of our volunteers. Not only does the Brain Exercise Initiative hope to improve the memory of those suffering from Alzheimer’s but we also create an invaluable, all-too-rare avenue for intergenerational service, discussion, and collaboration.