Baycrest - www.baycrest.orgBaycrest Breakthroughs
Innovation in Aging - Fall 2010 Issue
 
memory strategy



“I now have one calendar that I keep up to date and with me at all times. That way I know what I’m doing and when.”.

 



Simple Strategies Can Improve Memory

Leah Mullen had been troubled for some time. She had been having a hard time remembering names and numbers, and by the time she had descended the stairs to her basement, she found that she had forgotten what she was looking for in the first place.

“I didn’t know if this was normal, but I started to notice that I was forgetting things more frequently,” says Mullen, 66, who worked at a Toronto pension fund before retiring.

When she saw an ad in the newspaper for The Memory and Aging Program, a five-week education and discussion series offered at Baycrest, she knew she could benefit from the course.

“There is so much publicity around memory loss and Alzheimer’s, but I didn’t really understand it,” says Mullen. “I didn’t think I was losing my mind, but I signed up for the course to learn more and to find out if there was anything I could do about my changing ability to remember things.”

The workshop, offered four times a year, covers such topics as what memory is and how it normally changes with age; factors that affect memory, such as medical problems and stress; and strategies to help improve memory function.

Mullen says the course was excellent and that she left with a greater understanding of the subject as well as with several strategies she now uses every day to remember important information and combat memory loss.

“I now have one calendar that I keep up to date and with me at all times. That way I know what I’m doing and when,” she says. The course taught her that people often rely on their memory to remember important appointments or they keep information written in several different places. Both of these habits are risks for forgetfulness.

“If I’m remembering names, I repeat them again and again and space out the repetition to better help me remember the sequencing. I also keep a diary to remember details about 2010movies I’ve seen or books I’ve read,” explains Mullen.

Fortunately, Mullen also plays bridge. It turns out that learning a language, playing bridge or participating in an activity that requires interaction is a more effective way of improving memory than memorizing numbers at a computer. In addition, she uses the power of positive thinking.

“I hadn’t realized that stress in general and worrying about memory loss more specifically creates problems for your memory. The key is to stay positive,” she says. “When you follow these strategies you can appear to have a better memory than younger people.”

By the end of the course, Mullen was happy to have learned that her memory loss was normal and that most people can only remember a certain amount of information for so long. She says she would recommend the workshop to anyone interested in learning more about memory and how to improve theirs.

“There is a lot of misinformation out there, and this program brought it all down to common sense,” says Mullen. “I’m just impressed that I remembered all of this,” she says with a smile.

Memory loss – forget about it!

There is growing evidence that people continue to form new brain networks into old age to support new learning. These new networks can be seen working in fMRI scans. Also, procedural memory, the type used for learning new skills, remains strong with age. This adaptability benefits participants in Baycrest’s innovative memory and cognitive training programs.

memory programsThe Memory and Aging program that Leah Mullen found so beneficial is tailored for people of retirement age or older who want to improve their memory performance. Many simply want reassurance that their forgetfulness is normal.

The program is based on research-supported strategies that have been shown to improve our ability to remember everyday information such as names, numbers, and things that we intend to do, explains clinical neuropsychologist Dr. Angela Troyer, who developed the program. “These strategies are useful for everyone, regardless of age or memory ability. The most effective strategies are those that are applied during ‘encoding,’ or when we are putting new information into our memory. So, we teach participants to be aware of situations in their day-to-day lives where they encounter information they want to remember, and then choose an appropriate strategy, and apply it right away.”

As Mullen mentioned, when she wants to remember a name, she repeats it again and again, spacing out the repetition. Studies show that putting some time in between information stick. The best way to find out if this technique works for you is to try it out a few times, suggests Dr. Troyer. “The first time you use spaced repetition, it may not be easy, but it gets better with practice, so keep at it.”

Because the brain is plastic, consistently using these memory techniques and strategies can actually change the structure of our brain cells, causing more extensive connections to form between the cells, giving us an edge in dealing with the normal decline in brain function that comes with age.

For more information about the Memory and Aging program, contact Baycrest’s Cognitive and Behavioural Health Program at 416-785-2500, extension 2445.

The Memory Intervention Program, which requires a physician referral, is designed for adults whose decline in cognitive function, although mild, is considered outside the normal. For example, memory failures that produce more serious consequences than temporarily mislaying your keys – forgetting an important doctor’s appointment perhaps – may indicate a condition known as mild cognitive impairment. MCI carries a 50 per cent risk for dementia within five years of diagnosis, so any treatment that can help delay onset is highly valuable.

The intervention program, which recently received the Alzheimer Society of Canada 2010 Program Excellence Award, provides MCI patients with evidence-based treatment to help them maintain their independence for as long as possible. They learn to organize their activities by writing down reminders about such things as appointments, tasks they need to complete, and when they should take their medications.

They are also taught about the effects on memory – good or bad – of lifestyle factors such as stress, relaxation, nutrition and leisure activities. Separate sessions are offered to family members to support them in coping with their loved one’s memory difficulties.

The role of communications technology

In a pilot project at Baycrest, where, earlier, patients suffering from amnesia were successfully trained to use handheld computers as memory aids, MCI patients were given Palm Pilots to track appointments; record phone numbers, addresses and directions; and even take photos of where they parked the car to help them find it again.

Baycrest psychologists are looking to develop customized software for the Palm to help people use internal memory techniques to acquire new knowledge, reduce memory slips, and delay the onset of more significant problems.

“For older people who want to learn new technology for the first time, it can be intimidating,” says psychologist Dr. Eva Svoboda. “They don’t have the background or 20 years of experience that younger folks do. It’s not intuitive. But what we have found is that after one-on-one training sessions, the fear is gone…(and) learning any new skill is healthy and good for the brain.”