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Mental Changes in Aging

As people age, it is common for some brain functions to slow down i.e. recall of names or events.

Memory loss that disrupts everyday life is not part of the normal aging process. It is a symptom

of dementia.

Dementia is a general term for the loss of an individuals cognitive capabilities, i.e. memory,

ju dg me nt , th ou gh pr oce ss and re aso ni ng abi l it ies .

Not too long ago, people called dementia senilty and thought it was a natural part of growing

old. We now know that dementia happens because of a disease process.

An estimated 10% of people over the age of 65 and 47% of people over the age of 85 suffer from

dementia. Forty to sixty percent of people with dementia develop psychiatric complications.

Although irreversible forms of deme ntia, such as Alzheimers Disease (the most common cause of

irreversible dementia), do occur with greater frequency in old age, many other cases of dementia

are brought on by medical conditions that can be arrested or reveres.

There are over 70 different illness that can cause or mimic dementia including depression,

thyroid disorders, infections, nutritional deficiencies and drug reactions.

Some dementia-like symptoms might be caused by delirium, which is a physical response to

illness or medications that results in more confusion, disorientation, psychosis and bizarre

behavior. Delirium must be treated immediately.

Other conditions that may cause memory loss or dementia include:

medication side effects

chronic alcoholism

tumors or infections in the brain

blood clots in the brain

vitamin B12 deficiency

some thyroid, kidney, or liver disorders

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Many of these conditions are temporary and reversible, but they can be serious and should be

treated by a doctor as soon as possible.

Emotional problems, such as stress, anxiety, or depression, can make a person more forgetful

and can be mistaken for dementia. For instance, someone who has recently retired or who is

coping with the death of a spouse may feel sad, lonely, worried, or bored. Trying to deal with

these life changes leaves some people confused or forgetful. The emotional problems can be

eased by supportive friends and family, but if these feelings last for a long time, it is important

to get help from a doctor or counselor.

Symptoms of dementia include:

Difficulty performing familiar tasks: forgetting steps to everyday routines, i.e. how to use

common items or how to participate in a favorite hobby.

Problems with native language: forgetting simple words, inability to put together a sentence,

substituting unusual words

Disorientation to time and place: getting lost in familiar places, disorientation to general time of

day i.e. thinking it is morning when it is night

Changes in personalilty: usually marked by fear, suspicion and blaming of others withdrawal

from people, social situations and/or activites that they use to enjoy.

Changes in mood and behavior: more rapid and pronounced mood swings, depression, impulsive

or abrupt behavior.

Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer 's is the mos t common ca us e of dem en ti a, ac cou nt ing for 50 pe rcent to 70

percent of dementia cases in people ages 65 and older, according to the Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As many as 5.3 mill ion Americans are currently

living with Alzheimer's disease, and it 's the sixth-leading cause of death in the United

States, according to the CDC.

However, Alzheimer's can be diagnosed with complete accuracy only after death, when the

brain is thoroughly examined during an autopsy, according to the National Institutes of

Health. A microscopic analysis of the deceased's brain tissue can reveal the plaques and

tangles, which are masses of abnormal proteins, linked to Alzheimer's.

These proteins hinder brain function, affecting and limiting the parts of the brain thatcontrol memory, abstract thinking, judgment, behavior, movement and language.

Alzheimer 's causes wo rsenin g dem en tia sympt om s as a res ul t of its pr ogres si ve

destruction of a person's brain cells.

Because Alzheimer's usually progresses slowly, a person with the disease may experience

a gradual decline in cognitive abilities over a period of seven to 10 years, according to the

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Mayo Clinic. Though symptoms generally appear after age 60, early-onset forms of the

disease can occur, usually as the result of a gene, according to the National Institute on

Ag ing .

Alzheimer 's sympt om s inc lud e get ting lost, as king repe tit ive questio ns , ex pe rie nc in g

difficulty handling money and paying bil ls, having poor decision-making skil ls, frequently

misplacing items and undergoing personality changes. Those with Alzheimer's also tend to

take longer than before to complete normal daily tasks. As Alzheimer's progresses and

becomes severe, people may lose the abilit y to communicate and recognize oneself or

family members.

Factors Affecting Memory

Memory is affected by numerous things including how alert you are when information is

presented, how relevant or interesting the information is to you, whether the information is

novel or is related to things you already know, how organized or detailed the information is, and

the physical and mental context in which information is learned and later remembered.

Memory and other mental abilities are also very sensitive to your physical state. For example,

lack of sleep will undermine your memory, as will factors like fatigue, anxiety, and stress. I llness

can also adversely affect your memory and attention, from relatively minor illnesses such as

colds, the flu, and infections, to more major illness such as diabetes, heart disease, obesity, liver

and kidney problems, hypertension, and arteriosclerosis.

How to Maintain a Heathy Brain and a Fit Mind

There are a number of things you can do to keep your brain healthy and your memory operating

at its best.

First, Eat a Well-Balanced Diet. Food provides the energy and nutrition not only for your body

but for your brain as well. They say you are what you eat and they're right. But this goes for your

brain and mind as well as for your stomach and thighs. Poor nutrition makes it difficult for the

brain to operate properly, to pay attention when necessary, and to store and retrieve

information. Good nutrition provides your brain with the necessary building blocks to function a t

its peak.

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Second, Stay Physically Fit. We don't believe that people should 'rest' when they get older. On

the contrary, you should exercise as much as possible. Physical activity keeps the brain healthy

by supplying it with oxygen, glucose, and nutrients. And there is emerging evidence that aerobic

exercise alone, even just brisk walking, can help your brain grow new blood vessels, new

dendrites, and even new neurons. Living a sedentary life will hasten your mental decline and,

eventually, your physical decline as well. Living a physically active life will enhance your body

and mind, thereby allowing you to live life to the fullest.

Third, Use Your Brain! Exercise your mental abilities as much as possible. This is especially true

for the cognitive-control processes mentioned above, the processes that are called upon when

we must solve a new problem or learn new information. So learn new things, try new activities,

gain new experiences, and stay socially active. Above all, challenge yourself. If you've been

solving cross-word puzzles for years, try Sudoku. Instead of watching TV, play video games. If

you're a pro at Bridge, try Hearts. Learn a new hobby or, better yet, a new language. And don't

look at retirement as a time to rest but rather as an opportunity to get out of old habits in order

to discover new possibilities.

Think of it as a pyramid with three layers. The bottom, most important layer is nutrition. The

second, middle layer is physical exercise. The third, top layer is mental activity . The top of the

pyramid is the most grand but it cannot exist without the layers beneath it.

And the above is more than just an inspirational analogy because all three factors--diet, exercise,

and mental stimulation--have been shown to increase cognitive performance in older adults anddecrease their risk of dementia.

How to Improve Your Ability t o Remember Things

The key is attention. Attention is the gateway to memory. Memory is not automatic; if it were,

our heads would be filled with all kinds of useless information. Rather, good memory takes effort

and that effort is best applied by paying attention to what you want to remember.

Paying attention is difficult in noisy, distracting environments and so, if these give you trouble,

stay out of them. But you should strive to be able to focus on your goals (like remembering

someone's name or what task you are trying to accomplish) even under conditions of distraction.Indeed, this is probably one of the easiest ways to exercise your attention and memory skills

because there is certainly no lack of noisy environments in our modern world.