Concerned about your aging parent's memory?

It is common for children of aging parents to be concerned when their parents start forgetting names or where they left their keys. They often wonder: Is this normal?

According to Dr. Nicole Anderson, psychologist and cognitive rehabilitation scientist at Baycrest Geriatric Health Care System in Toronto, “It’s important to know which memory slips are part of normal, healthy aging and which are signs that something more serious is going on.”

“Not all aspects of memory are affected by aging. We continue acquiring new knowledge and improve our vocabulary as we get older, although accessing specific information when we want to use it becomes trickier.”

Retrieving old memories, like details about your graduation or wedding, is also not affected by aging. However, it does become more difficult to lay down new memories as we get older. Many older adults will complain about their “short term memory”, but what is really going on is short term memory works well in old age, but getting that information to long term memory is more difficult.

So what is normal, and what’s not?

It is normal to get stuck for an acquaintance’s name, but it is not normal to forget the name of a loved one
It is normal to get lost in unfamiliar places, but it is not normal to get lost in a place that you go to frequently
It is normal to get home from the store and realize that you forgot to buy an item or two, but it is not normal to get home and forget that you even went to the store
It is normal to miss some of the details when relating a story, but it is not normal to forget the gist or main message of the story
It is normal to not know the exact date (to be off by a day or two), but it is not normal to be completely disoriented in time (e.g., think it is 1944).

A wide variety of factors can affect how well our memory is functioning.

Dementias are progressive diseases that cause cognitive dysfunction and difficulties with activities of daily living, like dressing and managing finances. There are many types of dementia, but the most common are Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia.

Dr. Anderson cautions, “If your loved one has serious memory lapses, you should encourage them to see their doctor. They may be an early sign of dementia“.

Approximately 1 in 13 people over the age of 65 and 1 in 3 people over 85 have dementia. Although these are sobering statistics, it is important to remember that most older adults do not develop dementia, but live cognitively healthy lives.

“Mild memory difficulties can be caused by various treatable physical and mental health conditions, such as thyroid disruptions, pain, diabetes, depression, and anxiety therefore it is important to see the doctor regularly to keep these in check”, says Dr. Anderson.

It has been shown that:

The more physical and cognitive activity we include in our daily routines, the healthier and more robust our brains are.
People who have larger social networks seem to function better than those who lead more lonely lives.
Maintaining a balanced diet that is low in saturated fats is better for cognitive functioning.
Time of day also has powerful effects on memory. We all have a time of day when we are generally most alert, and typically (but not always) that is in the morning for older adults. Encourage your loved one to use his/her “peak” time to do more demanding tasks like finances, and save the easier tasks for other times of the day.
Finally, stress affects memory. A little bit of stress can help some people rise to challenges, but too much stress often impairs memory. The good news is that these effects too can be reversed. Try to mitigate stress levels by encouraging yoga or meditation classes, or less formally by taking walks or naps.

For more information about memory, look at the Memory and Aging web pages at www.baycrest.org/MemoryandAging