By Gary Geyer
“I must be losing it. I just put my glasses down for a second and now they’re not there.” Sound familiar?
Worried about getting senile?
It’s the over 50 cry for help. Many Boomers get a little crazy when they can’t remember someone’s name or where they put down something a minute ago. If it makers you feel better, some memory loss is a normal part of aging. The good news is that most people over 50 can improve their memory with a little practice and training. (We’ll get to that.)
Changes in memory are normal. Many people over 50 can expect:
• difficulty paying attention to more than one thing at a time
• greater effort to learn something new
• needing more time to remember familiar names and vocabulary
• longer periods of time needed to recall something from their long-term memory
What to do if you are worried that your memory loss is not normal:
• Write down the kinds of things you are forgetting and how often it occurs
• Ask friends or family members if they have noticed any change in your memory
• Think about what things in your life other than getting older might be affecting your memory. Like stress, depression, a recent loss of a job, the death or illness of a person close to you, a new medication, vitamin B12 deficiency, alcohol abuse, dehydration and thyroid problems.
• Discuss all these things with your doctor.
How to improve your memory: Focus your attention!
The single most important thing to do when you really want to remember something is PAY ATTENTION to the things you are doing. “Focus” is the key to avoiding the frustration of not remembering where you parked your car, where you put down your keys and what you went to the refrigerator for.
Strategies to improve memory
Keep in mind that as you age, you may find it more difficult to pay attention to more than one thing at a time. So do your best to cut out distractions. You may find that as you age you need more time to learn new information or recall familiar names or words from long-term memory, so give yourself plenty of time. Take a few more seconds when you want to recall a name or the title of a book or movie. Make a conscious effort to improve your organizational skills. Put your keys, glasses, remotes, bills, whatever, in the same place every time so you’ll know where they are when you need them.
How to recall a famous name when you need to
My favorite tried and true technique is the alphabet game. I go through the letters of the alphabet from A to Z to see if one will serve as a cue to jog my memory. For example, if I’m trying to remember the name of the movie with Marilyn Monroe in which Tony Curtis and Jack Lemon dressed as women, I start with all the movies I can think of that start with the letter A. When I get to S, miraculously it comes to me. “Some Like it Hot.”
How to stop worrying about things you do automatically, without even thinking about them
Here’s the trick: Start thinking of them. To avoid worrying about whether you have locked the door, as you are locking the door say to yourself, “I have just locked the door and I no longer have to think about it.” Get in the habit of saying things like, “I have just unplugged the iron and I no longer have to think about it.” “I have just turned the faucet off in the bathtub and I no longer have to think about it.”
Brain exercises to help prevent memory loss
Physical exercise can make and keep your body stronger. Same holds true for mental exercise for your mind.
• Play games that involve strategy, like chess or bridge, and word games like Scrabble.
• Try crossword and other word puzzles, or number puzzles such as Sudoku.
• Read newspapers, magazines, and books that challenge you.
• Get in the habit of learning new things: games, recipes, driving routes, a musical instrument, a foreign language.
• Take a course in an unfamiliar subject that interests you. The more interested and engaged your brain, the more likely you’ll be to continue learning and the greater the benefits you’ll experience.
• Take on a project that involves design and planning, such as a quilt, a vegetable garden, or a workshop in your garage.
Memory loss is not an inevitable result of aging nor is it a warning sign of serious mental deterioration or the onset of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.
The brain is capable of producing new brain cells at any age, so significant memory loss is not an inevitable result of aging. But just as it is with muscle strength, you have to use it or lose it. Your lifestyle, health habits, and daily activities have a huge impact on the health of your brain. As you can see from the above techniques, there are many ways you can improve your cognitive skills, prevent memory loss, and protect your gray matter.
Now, don’t forget to remember what I just told you.
Information for this article came from the website Helpguide.org and the Geriatric Clinic at the University of Michigan Geriatrics Center. It is reproduced here with their permission.
Gary Geyer is Senior Editor of Let Life In.
Article I wrote to reassure seniors and boomers about memory oops.
By Sunie Levin
OOPS, WHERE DID I LEAVE IT?
I lost my car keys. I’ve searched everywhere. You know what? It doesn’t matter. I won’t need them until I find my car.
My husband laughed until he choked when I told him I was writing this article. I manage to lose something every day. Where did I leave them? The doctor’s office? The restaurant? The beauty shop? He patiently assures me they’re right here, at home, and he’s always right.
I’m 80 years old. My 83 year old husband has to supply the tip of my tongue with missing words. “Where did I put the purple stuff?” He replies, “You mean the grape juice, and it’s on the counter, right there.”
Memory. It bothers all of us ‘of a certain age’. When we remember to think about it. Well, I’m thinking about it now, and before I forget, here are six tricks I’ve found extremely useful for solving the ‘I’ve lost it!’ syndrome. They’re easy, and I’m not going to harass you to learn mnemonic devices.
1. Find a basket for everything you routinely use-your eyeglasses, house and car keys, cell phone, pill box. Keep it in the exact same place. Once you’re firmly in the habit of going to that exact spot, you’ll always find everything there. Hey, I trained my schnauzer. I can certainly train myself.
2. Lost your car in the parking lot? Not any more. Just look back twice when you park it, picking up a landmark so you’ll remember what row it’s in. Alternately, use a small recorder, or even text a message to yourself. Use either one to remind yourself about anything you’re afraid you might forget.
3. Something on the tip of the tongue you can’t recall? Like the purple stuff? Try reciting the alphabet and when you get to the right letter the word starts with, chances are it will pop into mind.
4. Put something down and can’t find it five minutes later? Could you have thrown it in the trash? It happens. Don’t let it happen again. Pay attention! Concentrate! Visualize in your mind a detailed picture. Say it out loud. “I put my file with medical bills on the bedroom dresser.” How hard is that? Focusing is the key. Worse case, if you’ve been absent-minded, retrace everywhere you’ve been. You’ll find it.
5. Remembering names? Hopeless, probably. The real problem isn’t memory, it’s indifference. My husband has never been able to remember names. Never. But even at his age, if a good-looking woman is introduced to him, somehow he remembers her name. Funny how that works. When you meet someone new, try starting a brief conversation. “Nice to meet you, Alice.” Where is your hometown, Alice?” “How long have you been here, Alice?” The system works. Sometimes. As a fallback, exchange calling cards, or write down the person’s name as quickly as you can, jotting down as many details as possible. Their name, of course. How many kids and grandkids? Birthday. Anniversary. Everything you can pick up about them. If you don’t write it down, it vanishes in a nanosecond after you stop visiting with them. Carry the notebook with you. When you meet them again, they’ll be astonished and flattered at everything you remember, particularly since they’ve already forgotten everything about you.
6. Did I do it? Did I turn off the oven? Did I lock the door to the house? Did I put the garage door down? When you leave the house, just say out loud 2 or 3 times, “I’m turning off the oven. Check. “I’ve taken my pills.” Check. “I shut the garage door.” Check.
What am I supposed to do today? Lots. So make a list already. How hard is that? Just do it. Use a few simple memory tricks. My husband puts his billfold upright on his nightstand to remind himself of something that needs doing next day. Just like the old ‘string on the finger’ thing, only easier.
All of us seniors joke about our loss of short term memory, but of course it’s no joke at all. The real solution for most things is to write everything down, or dictate it to a small recorder.
So there you have it. It’s not rocket science. It’s mostly common sense, really. The trick is just to do it.
Copyright © Sunie Levin 2012 http://www.makenewfriendslivelonger.com
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Sunie Levin, author of Make New Friends… Live Longer, is a graduate of the University of Missouri and holds degrees in Psychology and Education as well as a Master’s degree in remedial reading. She founded the Midwest Reading and Dyslexia Clinic in Kansas City Missouri for children and adults with learning problems. A popular lecturer, Levin taught University classes and has conducted workshops and seminars throughout the country. She has appeared on local and national T.V. and was a syndicated columnist for many newspapers.