Mind games: Tips to keep memory sharp at any age

Cindy Krischer Goodman

Do you sometimes forget why you walked into a room? Or a familiar word that is on the tip of your tongue but you can’t seem to recall what it is?

As people grow older, one of their most common fears is that they are losing their memory. But keeping your brain healthy and your memory sharp is about more than doing puzzles or remembering what you needed in a room.

In South Florida, experts are using new approaches to fight off memory loss. Rather than Sudoku and crossword puzzles, their approaches to a mental workout or “brain fitness” involve everything from building physical muscle to meditation to following a recipe. And they recommend starting brain fitness well before the senior years.

“It’s important to start practicing whole brain fitness now because the process of cognitive changes can start 20 years before symptoms present,” gerontologist Beverly Sanborn said.

Sanborn says a full mental workout includes six categories of brain fitness: critical thinking, body movement, step-by-step sequencing, learning something new, devising analytics solutions, and doing regular long-term memory exercises.

For example, with critical thinking, you debate a topic from the opposite viewpoint with which you agree. With body movement, you use your mind and body simultaneously to learn the movement. With learning, you look up a new vocabulary word and use it for a week, or substitute new words for clichés you use regularly. With sequencing, you follow a recipe or instructions for building that require steps and measuring. With long-term memory exercises, you take quizzes or tests that require you recall information you learned in the past.

“You want to stimulate your brain in such a way that you challenge the brain to do more than it normally would,” said Sanborn.

New research has found that there is a correlation between physical activity and fewer signs of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. TNS

You want to exercise regularly, too, she said. “Every year there is more and more research that shows exercise is essential to maintaining your mental fitness.”

Only a small number of people — 5 per cent — get Alzheimer’s disease before age 65. Still, with more than 5.8 million Americans of all ages living with Alzheimer’s disease, researchers hope to learn more about the onset, causes, and progression of the disease. “While people recognise there is not a cure, they have an interest in trying to delay symptoms,” Sanborn said.

To prevent additional loss, include actions such as getting started on a brain-healthy diet, giving up smoking, adding more social activities, or taking on aerobic exercise.

At this time, there is virtually no conclusive evidence that vitamin supplements touted as memory boosters can prevent or delay memory lapses. The same is true of medications. So far, the medications for memory loss only delay the worsening of the disease for a period of time. Trials for a variety of new drugs are underway.

STRATEGIES TO BOOST YOUR BRAINPOWER

Do a brain workout

Enhance reasoning, problem-solving and memory abilities by learning a new language, or adding to your vocabulary. Rather than doing crosswords over and over, the key is to do an activity considered a mental stretch.

Exercise regularly

New research presented for the American Psychological Association found a correlation between physical activity and fewer signs of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. Walking, weightlifting, yoga, tai chi or aerobics may delay or slow memory loss.

Manage health risks

Lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels dramatically reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke, which are risk factors for memory loss.