There is an adage by memory experts that if someone comes into their office worried about memory problems, there is probably nothing to worry about. However if their son or daughter brings them in, and the person denies that there is anything wrong, it is very likely that there is a problem.
How can we help the aging brain?
“My 83 year old mother is showing signs of forgetfulness” Nola asked me at a family celebration. “You’re the memory expert. Tell me the quick version, ‘Memory 101, what can we to do for her?”Nola is not alone in her concern. Most memory loss is noticed by family members. How can we help them?
I heard a story on NPR about an experiment where rabbits were either fed in cages or at feeding stations in the woods, and these stations were regularly changed. So those rabbits in the wild had to use their brains to figure out where dinner was coming from. When they autopsied their brains, the wild rabbits had many more neurons that the caged bunnies. It was as if every day our brains produce new neurons wanting to get to work. So if we use these new neurons, we can compensate for age related memory loss.
Novel and Stimulating Environments
One of the best ways that we can create new neural networks is to create novel and stimulating environments. This can be as simple as doing a mental games or as elaborate as going on a trip to China. How we do this is limited only by our imagination and our funds, which is why Dr. Paul Nussbaum suggests that having money is a good defense against memory decline. (http://www.paulnussbaum.com/ )
Dr Gary Small has some interesting insights into mental games.
http://www.aging.ucla.edu/memorybible.html. He suggests that we need to include both left brained functions and right brained functions. Left brained functions would include logical analysis, information sequencing, language, mathematics and symbol recognition. This would include crossword puzzles, scrabble, sudoku, anagrams and word scrambles Ordinary activities like making lists of pros and cons or planning out your vacation are also helpful.
Right brained functions involve spatial tasks, musical and artistic abilities, face recognition, depth perception, emotional perception and a sense of humor. This would include taking that water color class, learning to play the piano, visual brain teasers or studying yoga. Planning different routes to get to your usual destinations are also great. Instead of just taking mom to a new medical appointment, give her the Google map and let her give directions. (Of course, the success of this experiment depends both on mom’s degree of memory loss and your sense of direction.)
Exercise, Exercise, Exercise
The brain is very greedy, and it gobbles up most of the oxygen that we take in. This is why when the body is deprived of oxygen, one of the first symptoms is mental impairment.
One of the best ways that we can get more oxygen to the brain is through physical exercise, which is why it is so important to stay active to the extent that we can. (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17662247/site/newsweek/) This doesn’t mean that you have to climb Mt. Everest any time soon, although if you did you would have the additional benefit of being in a new and novel environment. A thirty minute brisk walk would do it. It even helps to park farther away from Nordstrom’s at the mall. Which gets into another way to keep your brain young – have fun!
Computer Based Brain Training Exercises
I could go on and on about the other thing that you can do to decrease memory decline – eating a healthy diet, minimizing alcohol (although a glass of red wine can be good), no smoking, stress reduction, treating depression, using the new medications that are coming out to slow cognitive decline – but this is memory 101, not a doctoral thesis. But I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the computer based brain training exercises that we are doing at Sparks of Genius (www.SparksofGenius.com ). Using games that are specifically designed to improve different areas of mental functioning, our clients have already been able to slow down, stop and reverse mental decline, and we have just started to work with people long distance.
So Nola, that’s Memory 101. We can empower ourselves and our loved ones to decrease age related mental decline and dementia.
By Ninah Kessler, LCSW
Life Coach
July 11th, 2007 at 6:16 pm
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