Tag: memory

3 Tips to Prevent Memory Loss

 There has been a good amount of research done on the brain and memory loss in particular. Dementia can be a devastating diagnosis for the patient as well as the family members who love and care for them. When you have seen this type of cognitive deterioration, fear could leave you frantically researching solutions and preventative measures. The hard truth is that most memory loss is not entirely preventable. However, there are a few things that have been shown to help at least somewhat. If you or a loved one do struggle with a form of dementia, memory care might be the best option. Pocatello memory care offers activities for their residents in all three of the following ways. 

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

Physical Activities

When we exercise our heart pumps blood at a faster rate. That blood doesn’t just go throughout our bodies, but it goes to our brains too. Exercising just thirty minutes a day is essential for heart and brain health. Heart health has become a big topic of conversation, but our mental health should be just as important to us. 

Increasing our heart rate intentionally each day is crucial to preventing memory loss and maintaining a sharp mind for as long as possible. In tandem with that, exercise can also decrease symptoms of mental illness such as depression and anxiety. 

Mental Activities

This one is pretty self explanatory. When we challenge our brains, it keeps them working healthy and strong. Scientists recommend occasionally using your less dominant hand to perform daily tasks like brushing your hair and teeth, opening a bottle, or cleaning a dish. This essentially will exercise different parts of the brain. In a memory care or assisted living facility, they have regularly scheduled activities. Games like bingo, crosswords, and even coloring are a good way to keep your brain sharp. 

Social Involvement

It may seem strange, but it is a fact that more social involvement is connected to a slower decline in cognitive ability. In a way, being socially active is mentally stimulating. When we are with other people we engage in conversations, are typically more physically and mentally active in association with spending time with friends, family or neighbors. 

It could be argued that part of the reason that we are seeing more memory loss in the elderly is not just because they are living longer giving their brains more time to deteriorate, but also because our society does not cater to them. The elderly people have less opportunities to be out in the community. Living in a facility with other older people is a good way to increase social interactions. 

Memory Care Activities

Every facility is different. When looking for a memory care facility for your loved one be sure to ask about activities, because now you know how important they are for preventing worsening memory loss. 

The following are a few examples of activities that the memory care residents in Pocatello have available to them. 

  • Crafts
  • Coloring
  • Relaxing music
  • Movie 
  • Treats
  • Dice or Card games
  • Age appropriate workouts
  • Many more

Memories – The unforgettable demons

Memories are reminders of what you have lost. They remind you of a good time in a bad way. They are out there challenging you to face them, to remember them and to be devastated by them. They hurt you sometimes and sometimes they don’t. You can’t control them. Nobody can. They break your heart, they hurt you in a way nobody does and probably nobody can and you don’t even know it. They remind you of what you can’t have anymore. They make you suffer. They remind you of what happened. Or they silently accuse you of what you did to lose it all. They cover you in so much guilt that you can never get out of it. They hurt you in more ways than you can imagine. They attract you with the hope of remembering everything in a beautiful way. Instead they set you up for hurt, for betrayal, for lies. Lies you didn’t know were not true. And you fall into their trap, thinking there is still hope for something good.

Photo by KoolShooters on Pexels.com

They make you addicted to them in such a way that you can’t stay away from them ever. They bind you with such a strong rope of expectations that maybe someday you can have it all back, even if it is all in your head. For a long time or maybe forever, they haunt you, they never leave your back, never let you go off them. You are forever bound to them whether you know it or not, whether you like it or not. You always come looking back for them, for more good times, for happy moments, even if you suffer even more. They make you believe that maybe you can live with the idea of what could have happened.

Memories are the unforgettable demons living in our minds. They don’t go away. They eat you alive and let your mind rot. They are like the uninvited guest in your house. They live rent free in your mind and create chaos to remind you of everything. They clog your mind with the thoughts of the past and that hinders your thinking for the future. They don’t let you live in the moment, in the present. Memories force you to regret your bad deeds when all you want is to let them go. When you try to move on from something, memories come back rushing and fill your mind. Don’t let them overpower you. Don’t let them control your thoughts. Control yourself from walking straight into their trap hole. They will suck you right into the past and will hold on to you for eternity. You don’t hold onto memories instead the memories hold onto you. You want to let go but they have such a strong hold on you that you can’t find the strength to run away from them.

They will always and forever be with you no matter what. But this is not in a good way. They will never let you out of that hole you fell in. Sometimes they will not let you live in the present or think about your future, without having to deal with your past. Just don’t let them ruin you. Try to take control of yourself as much as you can.

Memories- Are they real or is your brain playing tricks on you?

All of us are aware of the tricks our memory plays on us in our lives. Like the time when you spend the whole night before exam cramming information from your textbooks and when you try to remember your mind goes blank. Or when you remember the most embarrassing event that happened to you but nobody else remembers it. Some people remember the smallest things that happened in the past while the others cannot remember any of those things. Ever had an argument with a friend when they forgot your birthday, when you never fail to wish them every year. Well it’s not all their fault. Our memory is partly at fault.

The study of memory is a fascinating field and researchers have reported many new phenomena which show the dynamic nature of human memory. Here are some interesting types of memories-

False memories-

Did you know that you cannot trust all of memories? False memory is an interesting phenomenon that is induced by powerful imagination of an event that did not even take place at all. Research suggests that memory can be induced and implanted through inflation of imagination.

Flashbulb memories-

There are memories of some events that are very surprising. Such memories are very detailed, they are like a photo from a camera that are stored in our brain and you can take a look at it whenever you want. They are like images tied to a particular time, place and date.

Autobiographical memories-

These are personal memories. Kind of like our Facebook timeline, they are not evenly spread across our lives. Some periods of our lives produce more memories than others. For e.g. In early childhood especially during the first 4-5 years, we have no memories related to those years, it is also known as childhood amnesia. After that there is a dramatic increase in the frequency of the memories i.e. during the twenties. Around 30 years of age, there is a decline in certain kinds of memories.

Implicit Memories-

This is the kind of memory that a person is not aware of. It is a memory that is stored automatically. For e.g. One interesting example of implicit memory comes from typing, if someone knows typing that means they also knows the particular letters on the keyboards.

Repressed memories-

Some individuals undergo traumatic experiences. Memories of those events are hurtful, such memories are repressed into the unconscious. It is a kind of repression- painful, threatening and embarrassing memories are held out of consciousness.

Forgetfulness or loss of memories under stress and high anxiety is not uncommon.

But we can still improve our memories by using some techniques such as chunking (learning in several small chunks that are combined to form large chunks) and by deeply analyzing a particular piece of information makes it easier to remember it.

World Alzheimer’s Day: It will be very easy to remember anything in these fun ways

If people with weak memory have to struggle to remember anything, then the fun tips given here will be of great help to you….

It is true that due to increasing dependence on technology, we do not have much trouble even forgetting some things, but trying to remember things always proves beneficial for mental health. Here are some ways, with the help of which it will be very easy to remember the names of people and places, key dates and some important numbers.

Reiterate Names

When you meet someone for the first time, after hearing its name, repeat that name two or three times in your mind. Even if you have a five-minute conversation with them, always address them by their name during that time. This will make it easier for you to remember their name and they will also feel good. 

Convert words to images

After hearing a new name, try to remember its meaning or any topic related to it. For example, if a person’s name is Pankaj, remember also that it means lotus flower, then you will always remember his or her name.

Adopt interesting ways

There are also some names of Hindi which can be translated into English in a fun way. For example, if a person’s name is Lal Bahadur Singh, then you can remember him by the name of Red Brave Lion.

Affiliation is required

Before saving the number of people, write a keyword with their name so that you will immediately remember why we had saved that mobile number. For example, if you talked to someone named Ashish for your child’s tuition, then save their number in your mobile name as Tuition Ashish. You won’t have any problems later.

Remember numbers in this way

It’s okay that people’s addresses and phone numbers are saved on your mobile. Yet the way to remember these is to remember it not in numbers but in words, for example, if someone’s house number is 315, it would be easier to remember it as three hundred and fifteen instead of three one five.

Add links for key dates

Even if Facebook reminds you, try to remember special occasions like your loved ones’ birthday and anniversary on your own. Often some of your friends or relatives’ birthdays will fall around each other. You can remember it like this – in the month of May, it is the birthday of three people, firstly of Soumya on the 2nd, Ketan on the 5th and finally of Saurabh on the 28th. In this way, you will never forget your close one’s birthday. 

Stay organized

Often people forget their things by keeping them here and there. To avoid such a problem, make a habit of keeping the goods back from where they are taken. If you succeed in trying to remember these tips, you will soon forget the habit of forgetting.