JILLIAN HOLBROOK
Leading with Excellence, Resilience, Integrity, Ambition, and Empathy.
Brain Exercise Initiative Co-President
Helping seniors "Remember and Thrive" with cognitive flexibility memory care
Overview
The Brain Exercise Initiative (BEI) is a student-run 501(c)(3) organization that uses simple math, writing, reading, and logic-based exercises as an intervention to improve cognitive function in those with Alzheimer's Disease and other dementias.
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Japanese neuroscientist Dr. Ryuta Kawashima concluded through research that mentally stimulating brain exercises activate the prefrontal cortex—the region of the brain responsible for controlling memory, cognition, and planning. I develop essential resources that improve memory care and cognitive outcomes for the senior population by creating cognitive flexibility exercise interventions based on Dr. Kawashima’s work. I also manage the UW BEI’s leadership board and a multidisciplinary volunteer team with experience spanning healthcare, biological sciences, ethics, engineering, public policy, the arts, and humanities. In addition to helping seniors mitigate the effects of neurodegenerative decline, BEI enables college students to form intergenerational relationships and learn from the wisdom of Seattle’s senior population by completing the exercise packets together interactively at volunteer sessions.
Personal Importance of Work
Having witnessed the crippling effects of neurodegeneration within my own family, I found purpose in assisting elders across the Seattle area in improving their cognitive flexibility through exercises designed to slow the progression of neurological disease. The Brain Exercise Initiative allows me to integrate my passion for helping others with my academic background in neuroscience, psychology, and cognitive sciences to improve memory care and quality of life for senior residents. Cognitive health is deeply personal and tied to an individual’s sense of identity, independence, and well-being. Each resident carries their own rich history of life that transcends neurodegenerative decline and the narrow perspective of a clinical label. Improving quality of life is an endeavor built on selflessness and my passion to care for others holistically as people first and patients second. When I create memory care resources and engage with the senior community, I actively practice empathy and understanding for the experiences to help others respectfully and share tangible means of joy and connection.
Tasks Accomplished:
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Manages 20 University of Washington student volunteers
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Leads biweekly leadership meetings to coordinate outreach, media, volunteer management processes, and organizational progress
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Helped create 195 weekly exercise packets with unique cognitive flexibility exercises and distribute them to partner residential care facilities
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Designed the BEI University of Washington Chapter website
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Ran three volunteer recruitment cycles and one leadership recruitment cycle, including application review and interview processes
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Volunteered with senior residents at Aegis Living Madison to deliver cognitive flexibility interventions
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Doubled social media engagement as former BEI Director of Media
The University of Washington Chapter of the Brain Exercise Initiative conducts weekly volunteering sessions with senior residents at Aegis Living - Madison.
Leadership Competencies Gained
Empathy
It is one level of understanding to read about neurodegenerative diseases in a textbook or research article and another to connect first-hand and form meaningful, trusting relationships with individuals living with neurodegeneration. Each resident is navigating age-related changes, and cognition changes across the lifespan affect individuals differently. Some are concurrently managing chronic pain; others may have to engage in a session non-verbally. Through building emotional connections with the seniors, I am reminded of my own family members and inspired to create resources with content that is engaging and meaningful. For instance, when I write exercise packets, I consider the pop culture or history the seniors grew up surrounded by and find reading passages on recent or unexpected topics I anticipate they will enjoy, like firefighting goats, how canoes are built, 2D animation, rooftop gardens, or the Iditarod. By learning about their experiences, I broaden my cultural competence and capacity to provide care in a genuine, personalized way.
Service
BEI UW is committed to helping seniors remember and thrive by improving cognitive flexibility and brain-based quality of life. The incentive of our organization is for volunteers to effectuate community impact and form meaningful connections with Seattle seniors. Helping others is a valuable use of time to give back to the elder population and learn from their stories and experiences. My experience with BEI has cemented my passion for care and applying scientific principles to improve treatment options, particularly for those navigating neurodegenerative decline. Through the development and delivery of cognitive flexibility exercises, I promote inclusion, connection, and well-being for the seniors I serve.
Personal Values
The Brain Exercise Initiative allows me to integrate my academic background in neuroscience and psychology with community service. Recognizing and caring for seniors as holistic people allows me to practice empathy in understanding their passions, challenges, and interests—creating lasting touchpoints that allow each senior to be treated with the dignity and respect they deserve, particularly in their cognitive care. Since my leadership is based on caring for others, I seek to leverage my personal core values in my volunteering to create selfless positive impacts in my community with the senior population and form connections beyond a surface level. Moreover, I apply scientific research and my discipline expertise to drive innovation in memory care resources that prevent neurodegeneration. Each exercise packet is detailed and tailored to the needs and interests of the seniors they are designed. I recognize from the relationships I have with my own grandparents and family members with neurodegenerative issues how important it is to serve individuals with cognitive care across the lifespan. Therefore, I apply the same kindness, integrity, and excellence to my work that I would want extended to my own family.
Others' Circumstances
Each senior resident has their own strengths, preferences, and diverse set of life experiences. The first resident I worked with as a volunteer is Dan; I know that Dan enjoys meat-lovers pizza on Thursdays, he went to Disneyland when it opened in 1955, and he has a gold necklace from his wife that he never removes. Apart from being a whiz at math and trivia, he also likes tennis and spending time with dogs. Kay learned how to make three dozen tamales every year for Thanksgiving when she married into her husband’s Mexican family. Bob was an engineer and a rower at MIT. Lily is a huge football fan and immensely proud of her grandson working as a coach. The individual perspective, humor, and personality of every senior enriches the volunteer experience, and understanding their diverse life experiences in addition to their cognitive journeys or neurodegenerative challenges presents an opportunity to build intergenerational relationships and increase community among the residents themselves. If a resident is struggling with working on the exercise packet, sometimes it is equally valuable to strike up a conversation and engage with the resident about a topic they are interested in. There are opportunities to provide encouragement, discussion, and support throughout completing the exercise packet with residents because they are designed to be completed interactively with both volunteers and residents working together. Through this method, I actively listen to the frustrations, opinions, and insights of the residents and apply patience if they lose their train of thought or need a change of pace during the session.
The limitation of clinical labels can sometimes reduce the experience of a senior to loss of independence, and the volunteering experience and cognitive flexibility exercises are designed to explicitly combat the treatment of seniors as patients rather than individuals to learn from with their own sets of skills and knowledge. For residents with more progressive forms of memory loss or cognitive impairment, I modify the exercise packets to use different types of games and puzzles, like picture searches or picture math that these individuals can follow more readily than word problems or longer reading passages. By seeing the whole picture of how seniors engage with the program, I can create resources that are inclusive for a variety of cognitive abilities and still achieve the goals of creating space for discussion and companionship.
Creating Change
Dr. Ryuta Kawashima’s research on cognitive flexibility activities showed that seniors who completed brain exercises showed improved cognition. Over 15,000 seniors in Japan at hundreds of care facilities are currently doing simple brain games, puzzles, and tasks to improve their memory and mental acuity to combat neurodegenerative decline because of this research. By combining science with creativity, I am helping spread the benefits of these types of resources to senior residents in the Seattle community. However, beyond the combination of math, logic, reading, and writing tasks on the memory intervention that I create, Brain Exercise Initiative’s program focuses on creating change through the delivery of these care resources. The packets are designed to help volunteers and senior residents have meaningful conversations and learn about each other on a deeper level across generational experiences. By combining scientific-backed resources with a human-centered approach to cognitive care, completion of exercise packets enhances cognitive flexibility and empathetic, intergenerational companionship to holistically advance quality of life.
Mission
By crafting a cohesive mission statement—"Helping Seniors Remember and Thrive"—I have united a team of volunteers dedicated to elder care and cognitive well-being. This mission not only underscores the service-oriented leadership at the core of our work but also reflects our dual commitment to supporting both memory retention and overall quality of life for seniors. The consistency of these values fosters a strong sense of purpose within our volunteer community, creating a recognizable and celebrated foundation that attracts like-minded individuals. To bring this mission to life, I spearheaded the creation of the Brain Exercise Initiative website and redesigned our social media platforms, ensuring that our messaging clearly conveys our goals and reinforces our shared vision.
Facilitation
Leading BEI requires managing multiple moving parts, from volunteer coordination to program execution. The leadership team consists of the co-presidents, the vice president, a director of media, and a director of outreach. I facilitate biweekly leadership meetings that ensure organizational efforts align with our program mission and that each leadership member is supported in their work. This facilitation consists of setting scheduled meetings with When2Meets, creating meeting minutes in advance lends to productive planning sessions or leadership discourse. By balancing guidance and listening to feedback during leadership meetings, I ensure each member’s concerns or ideas are heard, respected, and debated.
Moreover, I also oversee volunteer and leadership recruitment cycles, meaning I apply facilitation to review written applications, formulate reliable interview standards, and select volunteers who are passionate, qualified, and receptive to instruction. One policy I implemented to ensure fairness throughout recruitment was a rubric that eliminated common biases when narrowing down candidates. In combination, these types of efforts allow BEI to grow and succeed without conflict among or between leadership and volunteers.
Lessons Learned
The Brain Exercise Initiative has connected me with a population I hope to serve in my career through translational research and medicine. My experience with the senior residents has deeply humanized my understanding of neurodegenerative diseases as people first and patients second. Through an empathetic approach and building trusting intergenerational connections, I am empowered to provide culturally competent care driven by commitments to service and social responsibility. Moreover, leading a community of volunteers with a shared passion and vision for serving seniors and improving memory care has been another opportunity to unite team members and improve group collaboration at both the leadership and volunteer levels.
In addition to applying empathy, my experience with volunteering has also taught me a deep level of patience. Many senior residents, especially those with more severe forms of dementia, have lost their short-term memory capabilities and will frequently repeat questions, stories, or actions. Yet memory impairments do not diminish their desire to learn and connect with volunteers. The laughter, wisdom, and individuality of each senior bring a refreshing brightness to my work. I am proud to meet the seniors wherever they are in their cognitive journeys, embracing a selfless approach that prioritizes their dignity, well-being, and emotional fulfillment.
Artifacts
The official Brain Exercise Initiative: University of Washington Chapter Website provides an overview of the organization’s mission, including information for interested residential care facilities to partner with us. Designing the organization’s website allowed me to apply my creativity and graphic design with persuasive writing to educate others about our service initiative and volunteering mission. Spending a year as Director of Media helped me demonstrate my commitment to the organization and earn the respect of my peers and the previous chapter president before assuming the president position.