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Worried About Memory Lapses?

You need three ingredients for a recipe, so you dash to the grocery store—but once you’re there, you can’t remember one of the items you came for.

You go to a wedding reception, and even though you’ve met the bride’s mother before, you can’t remember her name.

You say aloud, “Where are my glasses, I’ve looked everywhere!” and your spouse points out that you’ve rested them on top of your head.

Memory lapses like these can worry us, especially as we grow older. But for the most part, these little slips are the result of perfectly normal changes of aging. Neurologists tell us that some thinking and memory skills drop off even by middle age, so we probably won’t beat a college student at, say, a game where we have to remember long strings of numbers. On the other hand, some of the qualities that are collectively known as “wisdom” continue to develop and flourish as we enter our seventh, eighth, even ninth and tenth decades.

It is true that certain conditions that become more common with age affect our memory and thinking. These include Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy body dementia, Parkinson’s disease, vascular dementia and dementia resulting from a stroke or series of strokes. It’s important that these conditions be diagnosed early to allow for the best possible treatment, and so patients and their families can plan for the changes to follow.

Worrying about our memory can even, itself, affect our memory! Stress is a notorious memory inhibitor. And if we have a parent or other family member who has Alzheimer’s disease or another form of memory loss, this might make us even more sensitized to any lapses in our own memory.

To help consumers sort out the difference between ordinary mild forgetfulness and signs that should be reported to the doctor, the National Institutes of Health recently shared some information:

What is mild forgetfulness?

Some of us do get more forgetful as we age. It may take longer to learn new things, call up certain words, or find our glasses. These are often signs of mild forgetfulness, not serious memory problems.

If you’re worried about being forgetful, see your doctor and describe what’s bothering you. Be sure to make a follow-up appointment to check your memory in the next six months or year. If you’re afraid you’ll forget, ask a family member, friend, or the doctor’s office to remind you.

What can I do about mild forgetfulness?

You can do many things to help keep your memory sharp and stay alert. Here are some helpful ideas:

• Learn a new skill.
• Volunteer in your community, at a school, or at your place of worship.
• Spend time with friends and family.
• Use memory tools—to-do lists, reminder notes, big calendars.
• Put your wallet or purse, keys and glasses in the same place each day.
• Get lots of rest.
• Exercise and eat well.
• Don’t drink a lot of alcohol.
• Get help if you feel depressed for weeks at a time.

What is a serious memory problem?

Serious memory problems make everyday things hard to do. You may find it hard to drive, shop, or even talk with a friend. Signs of serious memory problems may include:

• asking the same questions over and over again
• getting lost in places you know well
• not being able to follow directions
• becoming increasingly confused about time, people, and places
• not taking care of yourself—eating poorly, not bathing, or being unsafe

What can I do if I’m worried about my memory?

See your doctor. If your doctor thinks your memory problems are serious, you may need a complete health checkup. The doctor will review your medicines and may test your blood and urine, as well as checking your memory, problem solving, counting, and language skills.

The doctor also may suggest a brain scan to show the normal and problem areas in the brain. Once the cause of the problem is discovered, you can ask what treatment might be best for you.

See your doctor if you are worried about your memory. It’s important to find out what is causing your memory problems.

Source: IlluminAge AgeWise with materials from MedlinePlus, a publication of the National Institutes of Health. For more information, read “Read Forgetfulness: Knowing When to Ask for Help” http://www.nia.nih.gov/health/publication/forgetfulness  to learn more about the causes of memory loss, including treatable conditions.

We’ve all heard that to stay healthy, we need to exercise more, eat more healthfully, quit smoking and drink alcohol only in moderation. For many of us, healthy lifestyle changes require a sacrifice and may feel like a lot of hard work. We grow weary of hearing people telling us we shouldn’t have that slice of pizza or banana cream pie and that we should start using that gym membership, which we purchased so many months ago.

The good news is that even if salad isn’t your top meal choice and you don’t enjoy spending time on the treadmill, there are several things that are actually enjoyable that can improve your health. Here’s just a few:

Get outside.
Get up off the couch, your office chair, or whatever is keeping you indoors and get out in nature. Not only will the walk (or the gardening) do you good; according to the Harvard Health Letter, you’ll also enjoy these benefits:

• You’ll get more vitamin D. Sunlight is a natural source of vitamin D, which can help with numerous ailments including depression, cancer, osteoporosis and heart attacks. Don’t overdo it, but a little sunlight can work wonders.
• Your mood will improve. Light tends to elevate most people’s mood and being outdoors may even increase your self-esteem. According to a study published in Environmental Science and Technology Journal, both men and women had increased self-esteem after “green” exercise.
• You may heal more quickly. One study showed that people recovering from spinal surgery took less pain medication when exposed to natural light.

Take a nap.
Getting enough sleep overall is important for good health. Studies have shown it helps us do everything from lowering stress to maintaining a healthy weight to improving our memory. But sometimes we simply can’t fit those necessary eight hours in a single session. The answer? Take a nap! Napping provides all the benefits of “regular” sleep and can provide the perfect pick-me-up. A study by Sara Mednick, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Riverside, showed that napping is more effective than caffeine when it comes to improving performance on motor, perceptual and verbal tasks. The best time to take a nap? According to Dr. Mednick, the perfect nap should be taken between 1:00 and 3:00 pm and last for 90 minutes.

Socialize.
We are, by nature, social beings. According to Matthew Lieberman, author of the book Social: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Connect, “being socially connected is our brain’s lifelong passion.” Spending time with family and friends is enjoyable and allows us to connect with our fellow human beings. Additionally, it’s good for our health. A study from the Rush University Memory and Aging Project concluded that a higher level of social engagement in old age is associated with better cognitive function. A study from the Harvard School of Public Health found that people who engaged in a lot of social activity in their 50s and 60s had slower rates of memory decline compared to those who were more socially inactive. And according to a new study conducted at Brigham Young University, social isolation has been shown to be as much of a health risk as obesity.

Meditate.
You’ve undoubtedly heard that meditation can reduce stress, which helps the entire body function better. But for many, it may seem like there’s just not enough time to just sit and do nothing. For all you Type A’s out there, there’s good news from researchers at Carnegie Mellon University. A recent study there showed that just 25 minutes of mindful meditation a day for three consecutive days alleviates psychological stress. One of the easiest ways to meditate is to find a quiet place to be alone, sit, and concentrate on your breath.

Learn a new skill.
Challenging your mind is one of the best ways to help strengthen your brain, which may help protect it against Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. While any mental exercise – crossword puzzles and other “brain games” – is good for the brain, a recent study done at the University of Texas at Dallas showed that learning a new skill has the most impact on brain health – and the more challenging the new skill, the greater the result. So, enroll in a computer class, take up quilting, or learn a new language. You’ll not only be gaining valuable life experience, but you’ll also be helping your brain now and in the future.

Give thanks.
The simple act of gratitude can promote all sorts of healing. According to Dr. Lawrence Rosen, an integrative pediatrician, there are at least five benefits of gratitude that have scientific studies to back them up. According to Rosen, gratitude:

• Reduces depression.
• Engenders a feeling of peace.
• Aids in restful sleep.
• Improves heath health.
• Strengthens memory.

Laugh.
It may turn out that laughter really is the best medicine! According to the Mayo Clinic, laughter reduces stress, strengthens the immune system and improves your mood. And University of Maryland scientists say it’s also good for the heart. Michael Miller, a cardiologist who led the study, said, “The recommendation for a healthy heart may one day be exercise, eat right and laugh a few times a day.” Laughing is also good for the brain. A study at Johns Hopkins University Medical School showed that adding humor during classroom instruction led to higher test scores. And, finally, laughing may extend your life. In a study of 53,000 seniors done by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, researchers discovered that study participants who had a sense of humor had a 20 percent lower mortality rate compared to those who had difficulty in finding the humor in life.

Source: IlluminAge AgeWise

Volunteers often receive a plaque or certificate honoring them for their service. Might they also receive an MRI showing increased brain health?

Most people who volunteer say that civic engagement gives them a big mood boost and a sense of accomplishment. Now, researchers from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have shown that helping others can actually slow the shrinking of the brain that happens as we grow older.

Over the course of two years, Professor Michelle Carlson and her team studied a group of seniors. At the beginning of the study, the team took MRI scans of the brains of the participants, who were an average of 67.2 years old.

Then, half of the study subjects began participating in the Baltimore Experience Corps, a program that brings retired people into public schools to serve as mentors for young children and to help them learn to read.

Two years later, brain scans showed that the seniors who had taken part in the volunteer program had maintained their brain size. Some participants even showed a modest growth in the memory center of the brain. The volunteer group also demonstrated an improvement on memory tests. By contrast, the seniors who did not volunteer exhibited typical age-related brain shrinkage.

“Someone once said to me that being in this program removed the cobwebs from her brain, and this study shows that is exactly what is happening,” said Carlson. “By helping others, participants are helping themselves in ways beyond just feeding their souls. They are helping their brains. The brain shrinks as part of aging, but with this program we appear to have stopped that shrinkage and are reversing part of the aging process.”

Source: IlluminAge AgeWise reporting on study from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (www.jhsph.edu). The research was published in Alzheimer’s and Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association.

We read a lot about the “mind-body connection” these days. Most of us realize that the way we think about things can influence the health of our entire bodies. But it’s important to know that this works both ways: our overall wellness affects the health of our brains.

We used to think of “the mind” in an abstract way, as something somehow separate from our bodies. But new imaging techniques now allow researchers to observe brain function in ways that would have seemed like science fiction only a few years ago. Some scientists have described these images as “portraits of the formation of thoughts.” And what they see confirms again and again that brain health is closely interrelated with whole body health.

Recent studies link brain health with:

Heart health. We’ve long known that getting enough exercise, and controlling our weight, blood pressure and cholesterol all benefit our hearts. Now, it is clearer than ever that the lifestyle choices we make for cardiac wellness also benefit our brains. According to the American Heart Association, “Preserving a healthy blood vessel wall is important in preventing cognitive impairment.”

Diabetes. The American Academy of Neurology released a study showing that people with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes appear to be at higher risk of developing the plaques and tangles in the brain that are associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Said study author Kensuke Sasaki, MD, “It’s possible that by controlling or preventing diabetes, we might also be helping to prevent Alzheimer’s disease.”

Dental health. Tooth loss and gum disease have also been linked to an increased risk of dementia. Several recent studies suggest that good oral hygiene protects cognitive health. According to Dr. Nozomi Okamoto of Nara Medical University in Japan, “Infections in the gums that can lead to tooth loss may release inflammatory substances which in turn will enhance the brain inflammation that hastens memory loss.”

Hearing loss. Johns Hopkins University researchers reported in the Archives of Neurology that older adults with moderate to severe hearing loss may be at higher risk of developing dementia. While the connection is not yet fully understood, the authors suggest that hearing loss may result in “exhaustion of cognitive reserve,” when our brains become stressed with the extra work required to hear. Hearing loss also leads to social isolation, which is another risk factor. The researchers emphasize that current technology often can help seniors improve their hearing—and this new study should provide extra motivation to seek out state-of-the-art hearing loss treatment.

These are just a few of the studies that demonstrate the importance of following our healthcare provider’s advice to best manage health conditions. We know more than ever before that healthy aging lifestyle choices serve double duty: when we improve our diet, add more exercise to our routine, give up smoking, reduce stress, and manage any health conditions we have, we benefit not only our bodies but also our minds.

Source: IlluminAge AgeWise, 2015

Caring for a loved one with dementia or other behavioral health conditions has major impact on quality of life.

The United Hospital Fund and AARP Public Policy Institute recently issued a report with compelling new evidence that family caregivers who provide complex chronic care to people who have cognitive and behavioral health conditions face particularly demanding challenges, including high levels of self-reported depression. As a result, a majority of them (61 percent) reported feeling stress “sometimes to always,” between their caregiving responsibilities and trying to meet other work or family obligations.

Adding to the challenge, people with cognitive and behavioral conditions (collectively termed “challenging behaviors” in the report) were generally sicker than other people requiring caregiving. These persons needing care often had chronic physical health diagnoses—including cardiac disease, stroke/hypertension, musculoskeletal problems (such as arthritis or osteoporosis), and diabetes—at higher rates than those without cognitive and behavioral conditions. Further illustrating the complexity, family caregivers of people with challenging behaviors often met with resistance from the person they were trying to help.

Family Caregivers Providing Complex Chronic Care to People with Cognitive and Behavioral Health Conditions, a publication in the “Insight on the Issues” series, summarizes the new findings. They are drawn from analysis of data based on a national survey of 1,677 family caregivers, 22 percent of whom were caring for someone with one or more challenging behaviors.

The report concludes, “All caregivers need training and support; caregivers who are responsible for people with challenging behaviors are among those most in need of assistance.”

“Take a hard look at this profile of today’s overstretched and overstressed caregiver for someone with cognitive or behavioral issues,” said Susan Reinhard, AARP’s Senior Vice President for Public Policy. Pointing to the expected surge in the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease and the projected drop by more than half in the ratio of potential caregivers to those likely to need care, she said, “This is the face of caregiving’s future unless we improve long-term services and support for family caregivers.”

“Caring for a family member is hard enough when the family member is on the same page,” said co-author Carol Levine, Director of the Families and Health Care Project for United Hospital Fund. “But when that family member has a cognitive impairment, like Alzheimer’s, or a behavioral issue, such as depression—things that can interfere with daily life as well as decision-making—the burden on the caregiver is multiplied. And currently, our health care system often doesn’t provide the kind of support that can make a difference.”

The report outlined six recommendations:

1. Focused caregiver assessments
2. Better integration of behavioral and physical health programs
3. Respite and adult day care programs for family caregivers
4. Training of family caregivers to better understand and respond to challenging behaviors
5. Better training of health care providers to work more effectively with family caregivers
6. Revisions to most support and training materials for family caregivers to reflect care management of the whole person, rather than just the specific condition.

Source: AARP. The report was produced with support from the John A. Hartford Foundation.  Read the entire Family Caregivers Providing Complex Chronic Care to People with Cognitive and Behavioral Health Conditions report on the AARP website, where you will also find earlier reports from the groundbreaking Public Policy Institute/United Hospital Fund.