How
do you react when you misplace your keys? Is it a sign that
you are be losing your memory? It is normal to misplace an item,
forget someone's name, or forget to pick up something at the
store. Many people worry about becoming forgetful as they age.
They think forgetfulness is the first sign of Alzheimer's disease.
Associating everyday memory lapses with a disease like Alzheimer's
is a big mistake. A lot of people experience memory lapses.
Some memory problems are serious, and others are not.
Forgetting
where you put your keys is not Alzheimer's; forgetting that
keys open doors may be! People who have serious changes
in their memory, personality, and behavior may suffer from a
form of brain disease called dementia. Dementia seriously affects
a person's ability to carry out normal daily activities. In
the past, memory loss and confusion were considered a normal
part of aging. Now it is known that most people remain both
alert and able as they age, although there may be some changes
in memory.
For
some people beginning at about age 40, things may not be as
easy to recall as they used to, and it may take more effort
to remember things. Memory is commonly divided into parts,
short term and long term. Short-term memory refers to the
processes involved in temporary, and fleeting information, such
as holding telephone numbers in memory while dialing. For example,
when directory assistance gives us a telephone number, we often
forget it before we try to dial it. (In order to remember the
number you can repeat it several times or better yet, write
it down.)
|
Alzheimer's
disease
|
| A
degenerative brain disease of unknown cause that is the
most common form of dementia, that usually starts in late
middle age or in old age as a memory loss for recent events
spreading to memories for more distant events and progressing
over the course of five to ten years to a profound intellectual
decline characterized by dementia and personal helplessness,
and that is marked histologically by the degeneration of
brain neurons especially in the cerebral cortex and by the
presence of neurofibrillary tangles and plaques containing
beta-amyloid. |
Another
common example is when you are trying to do subtraction of two
big numbers in your head. You need to hold the numbers in your
memory at the same time that you are making subtraction computations
involving "borrowing." When you focus on the subtraction process,
you often forget the original numbers you were working with
you are trying to remember information while using or processing
other information at the same time. This kind of short-term
memory difficulty, taking in new information and doing two things
at the same time, is very frustrating and seems to cause more
problems with day to day life then problems with long-term memory.
Important,
short term, information is taken in and stored as long-term
memory, which can be saved for months or years. Long term memory
is affected a little differently by aging than short term memory.
Remembering is not just a matter of pulling an event from your
brain.
First,
an event is stored into a portion of our brain; next, it is
remembered over a period of time; and finally repetition, association
and other mental cues are used to retrieve and use a specific
memory to guide actions. As people age the speed by which they
retrieve memories, slows down a bit. Also when older people
remember an experience, they might not be able to remember minute
details such as dates, names, times, but they are more likely
to grasp a deeper meaning. Remembering is not just a matter
of reproducing facts from the past, meaning is added to facts
that are stored, the result being wisdom.
Wisdom
involves the mental ability to draws on past experiences to
make good decisions. In our society, memory problems may be
a self-fulfilling prophecy, we do not see the trade-off value
of speed for a deeper understanding. In eastern societies, elders
are respected and assumed to grow wiser as they age, and do
not show some of the same memory problems as western cultures.
It's
most important to have lots of interaction with people throughout
life. Develop interests or hobbies, so that you stay involved
in activities that stimulate both the mind and body. Giving
careful attention to diet and exercise go a long way toward
keeping a healthy brain and state of mind. Keep a positive attitude
as you get older. Remember, memory decline is not inevitable.
Be aware of the many things that can make you prone to forget.
You can take action to overcome or mitigate most of them.
Many
people find it useful to plan tasks; make "things-to-do" lists;
and use notes, calendars, and other memory aids. They also may
remember things better by mentally connecting them to other
meaningful things, such as a familiar name, song, or lines from
a poem.
-
Write
things down (use lists, schedules, etc.)
-
Put
frequently used things in the same place each time
-
Repeat
information that you need to remember over and over again
-
Make
associations (between a store item like a badminton set, and
its use, a birthday party, for instance) Rely on placement
to trigger your memory (for example, leaving an umbrella on
the doorknob)
-
Review
photo albums or yearbooks to keep memories fresh
Stress,
anxiety, or depression can make a person more forgetful. Forgetfulness
caused by these emotions usually is temporary and goes away
when the feelings fade. However, if these feelings last for
a long period of time, getting help from a doctor is important.
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