Memory training for seniors is not only nice, everyday entertainment. Memory training should be mandatory for anyone over the age of 60. Why? It is in our memory that we accumulate the knowledge needed to perform even such simple tasks as getting dressed or maintaining hygiene. Memory also allows us to communicate with other people, express our views and make decisions. It can also be practiced so that it will serve us longer.

Many older people fear that their memory will deteriorate over time, and so will the cognitive abilities of the brain. But it doesn't have to be that way. Much depends on how we take care of our brain and what lifestyle we choose. The passing time encourages our body to slow down, to rest, and sometimes even to laze around. But this need does not apply to our brain. The more active it is, the longer it will serve us and can prevent dementia.

Memory training for seniors - regularly and diversely

These two principles are the basis of mental training in old age. You need to spend some time on this activity to get results.

There are no criteria for how many hours a day or a week should be devoted to memory training. You have to adapt to your time possibilities, to home or family activities.

You only have to stick to one rule - training must be varied. Effective memory therapy is one in which the brain learns new things, thereby opening up new connections of neurons in the brain. This is what happens when we learn a foreign language or play an instrument.

You can use almost anything to train your memory:

  • board games
  • rebus solving
  • chess game
  • learning a foreign language
  • learning the meaning of new words
  • learning poems etc.

You can enjoy computer games, learning to deliver speeches is useful. It is important that the classes are varied, because the brain gets bored quickly with those repeated routinely.

But it doesn't stop there.

Memory training for seniors - brain fed well

A balanced diet affects the entire body. If we quit smoking, we will be physically active, we will reduce alcohol consumption and we will learn to deal with stress, we will also help the brain. He will defend himself more effectivelyagainst neurodegenerative processes.

The diet your brain needs should be varied. Rich in antioxidants, polyunsaturated fatty acids.

You will need:

  • B vitamins (vitamin B1, vitamin B6, vitamin B9, vitamin B12), because they improve the condition of the nervous system and contribute to its regeneration
  • vitamin A
  • vitamin E
  • vitamin C
  • vitamin D

Most vitamins can be found in vegetables, fruits, nuts, fish and olive oil. Our nervous system also needs to be supported with magnesium and lecithin.

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Diseases that affect a senior's memory

It is also extremely important to take care of your he alth. It must be remembered that many systemic diseases adversely affect the quality of memory. They are:

  • cardiovascular diseases
  • metabolic diseases
  • diabetes
  • hypothyroidism and hypoparathyroidism
  • vitamin B12 deficiency
  • vasculitis
  • HIV
  • syphilis
  • chronic glucose deficiencies (extremely important in people taking insulin, because morning hypoglycemia has a very destructive effect on the brain)
  • alcohol poisoning,
  • chemical poisoning
  • heavy metal poisoning

Memory disorders are also caused by vascular diseases, e.g. minor strokes, microdamages of vessels due to atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases, diabetes.

Effective eyesight and hearing are also important for the quality of memory. A person who has poor vision or hearing problems will have difficulty learning new things. In fear of misunderstanding or rejection, she will isolate herself.

And another important thing. Seniors take medications that, on the one hand, treat chronic diseases, but can also impair memory. Drugs that weaken memory include painkillers and drugs that help you fall asleep.

  • Ways to have a good MEMORY: exercise, diet, exercise, sleep

Do not neglect physical activity, because it perfectly improves the blood supply to the brain. Any type of activity that will stimulate the heart to work faster will result in the efficiency of the brain. Exercise protects the brain from free radicals that damage its structures.

The right amount of sleep is also important. It is best to sleep 7 hours, because when we are asleep, the brain processes and segregates the obtained information.

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Memory training for seniors - how to train?

Every day situation can be helpful.

  • Instead of writing down your shopping list, try to remember what you need at home.
  • Do not use the calculator, just count on paper or in memory.
  • Take up new challenges every day. Cook a new dish, learn a short poem that you'll also tell your grandchildren.
  • Train your concentration, i.e. use all your senses at the same time. Think or speak out loud about what you see, feel and hear.
  • Don't isolate yourself. Invite guests and leave the house. During meetings, suggest an association game, i.e. a word game in which words associated with what the predecessor said are spoken in turn. You can also have fun saying the words to the last letter of the word. It will be fun to exchange, for example, ten things beginning with the letter K or another in a short time.
  • Puzzles are a good training for memory. The first game is to arrange the items in a specific order. The guessing person looks at them and turns his back. At the moment, their order changes, and the guesser has to recreate the original arrangement. The more items the more difficult, but also better for the brain. These are exercises to improve selectivity and concentration. The second game is that one person says, for example, two words, another has to repeat them and add his own, and so on.
  • An effective and enjoyable training is to recognize differences or hidden figures in pictures. Notebooks containing such tasks can be purchased at any bookstore.
  • Solving sudoku is useful because it promotes logical thinking.
  • Psychiatrists' opinions are divided on solving crosswords and their beneficial effect on memory. Some believe that solving them, especially when alone, brings nothing, because the slogans repeat themselves and do not force the brain to use new possibilities. Others say that crosswords can help train memory, as long as we search for unknown passwords and remember their meaning.
  • A training for memory can also be recreating remembered images in the head and telling about them. Here it is worth having a companion who will verify whether the remembered details are true.
  • During physical exercise, it is worth stimulating both hemispheres of the brain. It's nothing hard. It is enough to stop while walking and start the exercise, e.g. raise your right hand up and your left handput your leg to the side. The exercise should be repeated several times.
  • You can also describe your experiences, write poems, because it stimulates the imagination, which is extremely important for keeping a good memory.
  • If you don't yet know how to use a computer, use blogs, join forums, or create one yourself. Find people with similar interests and exchange opinions with them.

Memory training for seniors - try to

All people over 60 should exercise their memory. Research by the European Federation of Older People (EURAG) shows that people who attend group classes achieve better results in memory training. Such training is offered by the Universities of the Third Age, day centers and some nursing homes (also for outsiders).

There are also many websites that offer "mental fitness". Any form of memory training will work if the exercises are performed regularly and make you learn or learn something new every day.

About the authorAnna Jarosz A journalist who has been involved in popularizing he alth education for over 40 years. Winner of many competitions for journalists dealing with medicine and he alth. She received, among others The "Golden OTIS" Trust Award in the "Media and He alth" category, St. Kamil awarded on the occasion of the World Day of the Sick, twice the "Crystal Pen" in the national competition for journalists promoting he alth, and many awards and distinctions in competitions for the "Medical Journalist of the Year" organized by the Polish Association of Journalists for He alth.

Category:

Geriatrics