Memory is quite probably the most common problem discussed by older people. We did work on memory early in our careers and revisited the issue recently. Judy’s sister Connie invited us to give talks in the lecture series at the 55-plus community where she lives. She mentioned how many of the people she knew were concerned about their memories, and so Judy decided to give a talk about memory.
Sixty people came out to attend the talk on a cold and blustery night two days before Thanksgiving. They were engaged and had lots of questions. Their worry, of course, was that their everyday memory lapses – not remembering a name, forgetting where they put something, walking into a room and not remembering why they had gone there – were early symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease. Judy explained that there are some normal and expected changes in memory with aging. We have trouble remembering names or words because of interference. That is, by the time we reach 60 or 70 or more, we have to sort through more information to come up with the name or word we are looking for. There is also a general slowing of cognitive processes, which affects learning and recall. Anxiety about memory can make remembering more difficult. Some commonly used medications can increase memory problems. But the everyday episodes of forgetting are normal and don’t indicate anything worse.
In the early 1980s, we ran memory training classes for older people. We taught them techniques for dealing with common problems, such as learning names of people more effectively or remembering a shopping list. We also discussed the difference between normal memory and the more disruptive changes with dementia. At the end of the classes, people had fewer concerns about their memory. They said, however, it was too much bother to use the memory techniques. What they got from the class was the assurance that nothing was wrong with them.
Today we are bombarded with information about Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. A week does not go by without another study being reported in the media that identifies risk factors or potential ways of preventing Alzheimer’s. Food, supplements, exercises, meditation, loneliness, social engagement, being a volunteer, having done well in high school (really!) and being married have all been identified in studies as risks for or protection against dementia. But most of these factors have no plausible or identified link to the pathologies that cause dementia. All the flurry of pronouncements does is place the blame on people with dementia for not living the right ways while raising everyone else’s anxiety.
There are sensible things to do. Regular exercise and staying at a healthy weight can potentially prevent some of the pathologies that exacerbate dementia, such as cardiovascular disease. If occasional memory problems are a bother, you can use techniques to improve how you learn and remember or that focus your attention better so that you take in and retain information more effectively. You can write down the things you want to remember and unlike the people in our memory classes 40 years ago, you can ask Siri for help with a name or word. Or like the people in our classes, you can decide the everyday problems are normal and then go on with your life.
There are also times to get help. Judy always says that when you can't remember that you can't remember, it's time to get help (although it will be someone near and dear to you who makes that observation). If your memory is getting worse over time, if you cannot hold onto a thought at all, if you can’t remember how to do something or are getting lost in familiar places, then it’s time to seek help.
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