Memory loss should not be considered an inevitable part of growing older. While some seniors do find themselves becoming more forgetful as they age, some retain their mental capacity throughout their life. Just as our bodies get stronger and more flexible through physical exercise, our minds and memories can also be strengthened through games and practice.
The following memory exercises and strategies can go a long way in helping offset age-associated memory loss. However, it is important to remember that some medical conditions, such as irreversible dementia and Alzheimer's, mean that your senior will sadly never regain the mental abilities she has lost. Exercising the mind in this way may help slow further loss, or help her make the best of the abilities she still has. But once a person is seriously confused, these games may only lead to frustration. As a caregiver, judge carefully whether you think these exercises would have any benefit, or talk to your senior's doctor.
1. Pay attention. Stop. Look. Listen.
Sometimes your senior's first reaction to a frustrating search for her keys is: "Here we go again, my memory is getting terrible these days." But in actuality her memory may be just fine. The problem may be that she's just not paying attention. The simple habit of actively paying attention can save a lot of later frustration.
Explain to your senior that it only takes a few seconds to make a verbal note about a particular activity. For example: "I am putting the keys in my jacket pocket."
2. Rehearse and repeat
Information must be rehearsed and repeated to find its correct place in our long-term memory. For example, your aging mother may often approach you with a comment or a request, and then forget what it was she was going to say. Show her how rehearsing and repeating the ideas in her mind can help fix it in her memory.
3. Make groups and patterns
This is another rehearsal strategy. Does your elder often forget her telephone number, or her social security number? Show her how grouping the numbers together can aid his working memory.
For example, a 10-digit number such as 5083841755 can be remembered more easily if it is broken into three groups - 508 384 1755. Five hundred eight--three eighty-four--seventeen fifty-five. It's like memorizing three numbers instead of ten. Much easier!
4. Get organized
Does your elder spend hours everyday looking for misplaced objects? Help her assign a fixed location for all her medications, important phone numbers, valuable papers, useful tools, as well as her keys, wallet, and glasses. This will minimize the frustrating searches for a misplaced item.
5. Increase the use of external aids
We all use external aids, but is your senior using them as much as she could? Encourage her to use appointment books, memo pads, clock radios, timers, as well as symbolic reminders-- some version of the string around your finger. Use your imagination and invent some new external memory aids together.
There is a growing number of products available which offer therapeutic activities for people with memory loss. These range from games which help older persons to reminisce about events in their younger lives, to music from different generations which provoke happy memories. Other activities are designed to keep hands busy and provide tactile stimulation and comfort. Talk to your doctor for reputable suppliers.
Games and exercises such as these not only help keep your elder's mind active, they can be a fun way to spend time together, and show that you care.
Source :http://www.eldercare.com
Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.
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