Several months ago, I started daily training with Lumosity; after a couple of months life got hectic and I failed to keep up. I’ve hesitated getting started again because I’ve been afraid that I’ve lost ground.

But after reading the results of a new study published in the Journal of American Geriatrics Society I’m not as gunshy.

Older adults who took part in cognitive training sessions report improved processing skills and better “activities of daily living” such as following recipes and cooking meals ten years after said training.

In 2006, the results of the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE) trial were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association — researchers found that cognitive training improved cognitive function five years post-training. The new 10 year follow-up is showing the same results. The good news is that cognitive training transfers into better quality of life and an improved ability to perform daily tasks.

The only area of brain function cognitive training didn’t necessarily improve was memory.

The researchers who analyzed the data emphasized how cognitive training can be applicable in the daily lives of seniors — such as understanding bus or medication schedules and reading labels.