We all know that keeping the brain healthy takes effort. Sleep well, eat well, move your body, spend time outside, talk to others, and challenge your mind. These are the basics.
You might be familiar with the “use it or lose it” idea. Think of the brain like a muscle that needs regular exercise and a steady routine of mental workouts to stay strong and resilient.
Before we introduce a new technology that helps provide these workouts while offering easy-to-digest cognitive insights, let’s pause to revisit some proven brain health basics.
Brain Health Basics – What Helps and Why
Caring for your brain does not require a complete lifestyle overhaul. Often it means making small, consistent choices that are both manageable and enjoyable. Research shows these habits make a real difference, and the best results come when they become part of your routine.
Movement
Regular physical activity, such as walking, swimming, or even dancing, improves blood flow to the brain and supports memory and learning. Exercise also helps with sleep and mood, which in turn strengthens focus and recall. Harvard Health summarizes these effects and notes the benefits for memory and executive function.
Sleep
Short sleep and poor sleep quality are linked to higher dementia risk. Studies of older adults show that regularly sleeping fewer than five to six hours roughly doubles the risk of dementia over time. Prioritizing 7–9 hours gives your brain time to process and store memories.
Food
Eating patterns like the MIND diet emphasize leafy greens, berries, whole grains, beans, nuts, olive oil, and fish to support brain health. Diets rich in these types of ingredients have been linked to slower cognitive decline. Even small positive changes can help. Try adding more vegetables to your meals or replacing butter with olive oil. Cutting down on processed foods is a good idea, too.
Social Connection
Time with friends, family, or groups can be powerful for the brain. Social interaction strengthens thinking skills, reduces stress, and often lifts mood. The National Institute on Aging points to the benefits of socialization for thinking and memory.
Mental Challenge
Trying something new, whether it is a puzzle, a recipe, or a class, can help preserve cognitive function. This ‘testing’ of your brain helps it form new neural connections even as we age, and more of these neural connections basically builds up some resiliency against cognitive decline. What matters most is curiosity and the willingness to keep learning. Harvard clinicians highlight the protective role of ongoing cognitive engagement.
Time Outside
Exposure to natural light helps regulate your body’s internal clock, which supports healthy sleep. A short walk or gardening in the sun provides the combined benefits of fresh air, light, and movement.
Make Small Changes for Better Brain Health
We are all probably somewhat aware that all these activities have a positive effect on our brain health. One of the encouraging truths about brain health is that these small choices create a positive cycle. When you start with one step, you often unlock benefits that make the next step easier.
Over time, these habits reinforce one another.
For example, when you make time for daily movement, you often fall asleep more easily at night. Better sleep lowers stress and helps your brain process and store memories. When you’re well rested, you are more likely to make good choices around food, such as preparing a healthy meal instead of reaching for convenience snacks. Nutritious foods, in turn, help stabilize your mood and energy, making it easier to stay active and engaged the next day.
You can find these positive cycles running through every smart brain-healthy choice. The important part is starting with one change that feels realistic to you. Each step, no matter how small, is an investment in your brain health that will make the next step easier.
What’s been missing is an accessible way to check in on how the brain is really functioning. With the heart, we have blood pressure cuffs. With our overall health, we have cholesterol and blood sugar numbers. But the brain has been harder to measure in a simple, everyday way.
What is our current state of healthcare when it comes to the brain? Maybe you raise an issue with your primary care provider. You get put on a long waitlist to see a specialist. They carry out imperfect, detailed assessments comprised of written exams and ‘follow-my-finger’ tests. Throughout all this, you may succumb to the ‘white coat’ effect, where the stress of being assessed in a clinical setting skews your performance.
Ultimately, this is an unsatisfactory, inaccessible, cumbersome process. We need a better way.
That is where REACT Neuro comes in.
What Is REACT Neuro?
REACT Neuro is a virtual reality headset that users can put on for a short, engaging session. Activities range from quizzes and reaction games to calming VR environments designed for meditation. While you use it, the headset tracks various activities: eye movements, response times, and hand coordination via the remote, among others. This information is then turned into data that helps reveal how the brain is working in areas like memory, focus, and speed.
It is like a quick check-up for your mind — a “blood pressure cuff for the brain.”
We recently sat down with the CEO of REACT Neuro, Dr. Shawn Patel, as part of our EPOCH Exchange podcast series. We discussed this new technology and its implications for brain health. Check it out below:
How REACT Neuro Works
Sessions take about fifteen minutes. A brain health coach may guide users through the first assessment, though it can also be used independently. Together, participants can set goals, much like working with a personal trainer. After that, the headset is used for regular practice and reassessments, building both insight and resilience.
The experience feels a little like the popular brain-training games, but with more precise, science-based feedback. feedback meetings and daily interactions with leadership. There is a real sense that this is a thriving, evolving community in which everybody plays a part, from life enrichment team members to dining staff to the residents themselves.
What It Can and Cannot Do
REACT Neuro can:
- Provide valuable information about how the brain is functioning.
- Track changes over time and strengthen cognitive skills.
- Encourage users to build resilience and take a proactive role in their brain health.
It cannot:
- Diagnose dementia or other conditions.
- Provide a cure for memory loss.
- Replace the role of a physician.
If results ever point to something concerning, users would be encouraged to follow up with their doctor.
Why Are We Bringing REACT to Waterstone?
At Waterstone, we are always looking for meaningful ways to support wellness. REACT Neuro fits perfectly into that vision. It gives residents a new tool to keep their minds active and engaged, and it does so in a way that is fun, simple, and modern. Participation is entirely optional, but for those who choose it, this program provides another pathway toward healthy aging.
What a REACT Neuro Session Looks Like at Waterstone
- Sign up. Residents can choose to participate. A team member helps schedule a convenient time. Participation is optional.
- Welcome and baseline. A team member introduces the VR headset and explains what it measures. We start with a simple baseline check that takes about 10–15 minutes.
- Guided use. A brain health coach can guide the first session. The headset tracks eye movements, response times, and hand coordination while you complete brief, game-like tasks. These are meant to be fun games rather than feeling like mental assessments.
- Results review. You see easy-to-understand readouts for areas like working memory, attention, and processing speed. We save this as your baseline for future comparisons.
- Set goals. You choose focus areas that matter to you, such as reaction time or short-term recall. Together, we pick a simple plan for you to follow.
- Practice sessions. Short sessions fit your routine. You can practice independently or with a coach. The goal is steady, low-stress repetition.
- Track progress. We compare new results to your baseline so you can see changes over time. You can adjust goals if you want to try different exercises.
- Follow-up support. If a result raises concern, we recommend speaking with your physician. REACT Neuro does not diagnose conditions and does not replace medical care.
- Keep it enjoyable. Many residents treat sessions like a quick mental workout. The experience feels familiar if you have tried brain-training games, with the added benefit of objective measurements.
The Future of Brain Health
The team behind REACT Neuro believes that one day, checking the brain will be as common as checking your blood pressure.
The CO-CEO of REACT Neuro, Dr. Shaun Patel, envisions a future where these VR handsets could be a regular fixture in people’s homes, improving and democratizing access to brain health insights. His vision is one of regular testing: he reminds us that this tool enables fun, fast, frequent, accessible insights into our cognitive performance – something we can do in 15 minutes from our couch at home.
For sure, the technology is opening up new possibilities to bring cognitive insights into daily life. At Waterstone, we are proud to be among the senior living communities leading the way in this exciting new field.
Brain health is something worth protecting at every stage of life. With REACT Neuro, our residents now have a new way to do just that. Most importantly, it empowers us all to be more proactive in caring for our most vital organ.
Brain Health as Part of Wellness at Waterstone
At Waterstone, we believe wellness is about so much more than staying physically active or eating well. It’s about nurturing every dimension of health, including the mind. By introducing REACT Neuro, we are giving residents another way to stay proactive, engaged, and confident about their future.
This tool is not meant to stand alone, but to complement the vibrant lifestyle that already defines our communities: chef-prepared dining with healthy options, enriching cultural and social programs, opportunities to connect with others, and personalized support when it is needed.
“At Waterstone, we are always looking for meaningful ways to help our residents thrive,” said Michael Toce, Vice President of Wellness at EPOCH Senior Living. “We’re excited to introduce REACT Neuro as a program for our residents, giving them an innovative and empowering way to support their brain health. This is just the beginning as we look forward to bringing this technology to additional communities in the future.”
Protecting brain health preserves independence for longer as you age. With innovations like REACT Neuro, Waterstone continues to lead in delivering thoughtful, forward-looking resources that help residents thrive each day.
Contact us today to learn more about luxury senior living at Waterstone and our commitment to supporting wellness at every stage of life.
