As part of San Diego County's Live Well San Diego campaign, a Vital Aging conference was held Wednesday to talk to senior citizens about nutrition, exercise, mental stimulation and social connection.
The conference was aimed at the 65 and older crowd, and organizers urged those attending to age vitally so they remain healthy as they get older.
"I think what I'm seeing here today is San Diego has an opportunity to pioneer this," said keynote speaker Paul Nussbaum, a neuropsychologist and founder of the Brain Health Center in Pittsburgh.
Nussbaum said nutrition, mental stimulation and social interaction improve mood and memory.
"You don't want the brain to isolate and segregate," Nussbaum said. "When we do things that are novel and complex, we generate new neuro connections that help to delay an onset of diseases."
The county's population of people over the age of 65 is expected to nearly double to more than 720,000 in the next 15 years.
