Let your Brain be Your Face Book

As we grow older, we all start to notice some changes in our ability to remember things.

You may have gone into the kitchen all to forget why you're there or had a difficult time recalling a familiar name during a conversation. You may even be on your way out, all to realize you're not sure where you put down your cell phone or keys. Memory lapses can occur at any age, though we tend to get flustered by them as we get older because we fear they’re a sign of dementia or loss of intellectual function. The fact is, significant memory loss in older people isn’t a normal part of aging, but is due to organic disorders, brain injury, or neurological illness.

Most of the fleeting "senior moments" that we experience reflect normal changes in the structure and function of the brain. These changes can slow certain cognitive processes making it harder to learn new things quickly or screen out distractions. Although these changes can be frustrating, they are benign by every meaning of the term. Thankfully, due to decades of research, there are various strategies we can use to protect and sharpen our minds. Here are three things you might try:

1. Keep Learning

A Higher level of education is associated with better mental functioning in older adults. This doesn't necessarily mean formal education. Instead of relying on technology like Facebook or cell phones, let your brain do the remembering by being intentional to remember faces and names. Let your brain be your face book. As they say, "use it or lose it". 

2. Use All Five

Use all five of your senses when you learn. The more of your brain that is involved in retaining a memory, the better. Dr. Donald Ford from University of California Irvine's Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory states, "We need to ensure that learning engages all the senses and taps the emotional side of the brain, through methods like humor, storytelling, group activities and games. Emphasis on the rational and logical alone does not produce powerful memories."

3. Believe in YOU

Myths about aging are abound. People who believe that they have memory impairment, will most likely see signs of such. As they say, "Whether you say you can or you can not, you're right". 

Resources: Ford, D. (2011). How the brain learns. Retrieve from: http://www.trainingindustry.com/

Old age is no place for sissies.

Here is a list of the 5 most common problems I hear about as a nurse from those 55 and better, and how you can prevent, overcome, or manage them. 

1. Memory Loss 

"Senior moments" can happen to anyone. As one women I know in her sixties said, "People lose their keys when they are my age and they think it's their age. Even though, plenty of teenagers lose their keys, and when they do, they just say they lost their keys." Until recently, scientist thought this was due to information overload, however now they have started to truly pull apart the differences between the start of dementia verses just regular, well, forgetfulness. The adult brain actually may function better in some ways, because it knows how to ignore what it deems as unimportant. Did you catch that? What IT deems as unimportant. So when you're on your way to the kitchen and--you get there with a blank stare completely forgetting what you went there for. Don't fret. Your brain just ranked "it" lower on the importance scale. This particularly applies to the 50 and 60-something's. The best thing to do to keep your neurons in gear is the following: Stop smoking if you do, exercise if you don't already, and keep your mind active with things including playing puzzles like crosswords or sudoku, learning new things, and reading.


2. Depression
The good news is that the majority of older adults aren't depressed. The bad news is, it's on the rise. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), "major depression in older people living in the community range from less than 1% to about 5% but rise to 13.5% in those who require home healthcare and to 11.5% in older hospital patients." Depression can especially come to those who have multiple multiple illnesses (like heart disease, diabetes, kidney failure, ect.) or those who have lost multiple loved ones. There are means of getting help if you see yourself or someone else going in this direction. There are medications available (prescription and non-prescription). Studies have also shows that simply increasing physical activity, increasing the amount of time spent doing enjoyable activities, and spending time with others (whether volunteering or simply spending more time with friends/family) may also improve mood.  Read more from the CDC by clicking here. 


3. Visual impairment
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 65 % of all people who are visually impaired are aged 50 and up. The biggest culprit: Macular degeneration.  Macular degeneration results in a loss of vision in the center of the visual field (the macular) due to damage to the light-sensitive tissue lining the inner surface of the eye (the retina). As a result, the center of your vision is lost making it difficult to read or recognize faces. The peripheral vision remains however. (See image to the right; top image is normal vision, bottom image is what would be seen with macular degeneration.)  To help prevent macular degeneration, wear sunglasses when in direct sunlight, manage high blood pressure, and do not smoke.


4. Joint pain
First, the bad news. With age, joints do become stiffer and less flexible. The fluid-filled sacs that once served as soft cushions between cartilage or bone may have less fluid in them or non at all. This causes cartilage to rub together and erode. Minerals may deposit in and around some joints ( referred to as calcification). This is especially common in the joints of the shoulders. Hip and knee joints may begin to lose joint cartilage due to degenerative changes. However some joints, such as the ankle, typically change very little with aging. The good news is that exercise will actually help maintain bone mass. Also, a diet rich in calcium and vitamin D (which helps absorb calcium) will also do you good. Likewise, there are prescription and non-prescription means of preventing bone loss and maintaining joint health. 


5. Hearing problems
Hearing loss can be difficult for the individual affected, as well as their loved ones. Doctors do not know why age-related hearing loss happens, but it seems to run in families. Another reason for hearing loss may be exposure to too much loud noise. Less commonly it can occur due to a virus or bacteria, heart conditions or stroke, head injuries, tumors, and certain medicines. Here is a link to an infographic that outline the degrees of sound that effect our ears: Via facebook or Blog. The best thing to do if you start to notice hearing loss is to speak with your doctor about what is causing the loss. From there, they will help you find the best route of management.   

As Grandpa said, "What was once wet is now dry, and what was dry now leaks"

Although this may seem like an uncanny expression of the decline of the human body, there is a silver lining. Between ears that don't hear as well, nose sensors that seem blunted, and aches that just don't want to move to their next victim, I am happy to report one thing baby boomers may find they do as well as well as ever: urination. 

In fact, not only are they still doing it, they might be doing it more often than ever. 
A lot more actually.

Now that the kids are grown up, it may surprise you that you are now the one asking to pull over for a pit stop. Although you have trained your kids well, this simply just means that they may have better kidneys, said Dr. Sharon A. Brangman, a professor of medicine at SUNY Upstate Medical University.

People may urinate more as they get older for multiple reasons, including medical problems like diabetes or high blood pressure. Some medicines can be the cause as well. However, it may also be a sign of infection; “That’s often the first thing we look at when people complain of frequent urination,” said Dr. Tomas Griebling, vice chairman of urology at the University of Kansas and a spokesman for the American Urological Association. 

Getting older, Dr. Griebling pointed out, does not necessarily mean more trips to the restroom.  Although many people do notice that they have to go more often, the explanation usually lies with the normal changes of the body.

As people age, their kidneys may become less proficient at concentrating urine and therefore may draw in more water from elsewhere in the body. This means more urine is produced and sent on to the bladder which, as it happens, may be losing some of its ability to stretch. The urethra, the pathway through which the urine exits, may also be shortening and its lining thinning.

Adding to the problem is that with age our bodies produce less of a hormone called aldosterone, that help retain fluid. In women, estrogen levels may also drop, a change associated with increased urination. As for men, the prostate may become bigger making it harder to urinate.

Increased urination knows no time of day, but people seem to notice it more at night due to the inconvenience. In fact, the National Sleep Foundation surveyed people ages 55 to 84, and found that two-thirds of them lost sleep at least a few times a week because of the problem. 

On the up side, talking with your doctor about your increased pit stops may lead to finding an easy fix or get you a stamp for a normal bill of health.