Memory: How to Properly Take Care of It
Memory
Taking care of one’s memory is very important! One must pay attention the signs of cognitive decline to learn to start managing it on time.
An article in Harvard Health explains key points about memory and gives very interesting tips to know when to worry about our memory and how to take care of it. In this article, I have summarized the main points for you, my dear reader.
| Probably normal aging | Potential signs of cognitive decline |
| Walking into a room and forgetting why you entered. | Getting lost in familiar surroundings. |
| Having trouble recalling the names of unfamiliar people. | Having difficulty remembering important details of recent events. |
| A change in memory compared with when you were younger. | Difficulty following the plot of a television program or book because of memory problems. |
| Cognitive changes similar to other people of the same age. | Cognitive changes that are worse than those of people your same age. |
| Misplacing items, but later recalling where you put them. | Misplacing items, and being unable to relocate them later. |
| Source: Rebecca Amariglio, Harvard Medical School | |
Researchers made a study with 17,000 women who were mostly in their 70s and here are the most important results.
Women who reported noticing certain types of cognitive changes were more likely to also show signs of cognitive impairment.
This leads us to believe the importance of recognizing one’s cognitive abilities.
Noticing cognitive changes doesn’t directly mean that you will develop cognitive impairment, but it can help give you a margin of reference to take care of your memory.
Here are some memory helpers provided by Harvard Health:
- Keep your keys, phone, and eyeglasses in the same place every day.
- Pay closer attention when you need to remember details.
- Do one thing at a time; multitasking increases forgetfulness.
- Repeat names of new acquaintances, silently or aloud.
- Link a person’s name to a rhyme or vivid mental image.
- Repeat important facts back to people as you talk to them.
- Eliminate distractions when you’re trying to learn something.
- Read instructions more than once on different occasions.