Elders told brain exercise helps improve memory
By Eileen M. Adams
Staff Writer

DIXFIELD – Chances are when someone forgets where he laid his keys, or walks into a room and forgets why he is there, that is nothing but a momentary lapse in memory.

It’s when a person forgets what the keys are for, or wonders where he is that indicates something more serious may be happening.

Dr. Dieter Kreckel of the Elsemore Dixfield Center and registered nurse Barbara Aliberti of Central Maine Medical Center explained the differences between such mind-robbing diseases as Alzheimer’s and dementias, and common memory lapses at an Elder Issue session this week, and provided tips on how to improve the memory.

It’s a clear case of use it or lose it, said Aliberti, just as it is with the physical body. The mind must be used. Tell jokes, play card games, play bingo, read or do puzzles, she said. To keep the mind healthy, get good nutrition and drink plenty of water, take vitamins B and E.

“Most memory works by association. Every piece of memory is connected to every other piece of memory. Most people have good memories but don’t practice using them,” she said.

Write things down. Take notes. Create associations, she added.

Kreckel added the importance of being enthusiastic about anything you want to remember. He also suggested not only hearing something that you want to remember, but also writing it down, then reading it. “Each goes into the brain. It’s very, very important to do that,” he said.

Remembering information creates pathways, and the more often those pathways are used, the better they will perform, he added.

It’s when the chemicals and nerves that connect parts of the brain get diseased or a stroke occurs that the pathways break down.

When a stroke hits, brain cells and connectors are killed, said Kreckel. But often, the stroke victim can create new pathways to other cells that enables relearning how to walk and talk.

Alzheimer’s, however, is different.

Although there is no definitive test for the disease that robs people of memory to a point where they can no longer take care of themselves, the process of elimination, family history and some tests are usually used for the diagnosis.

“Alzheimer’s is a very gradual process, unless it hits at an early age, like 50. Then it can progress very quickly and require a lot of assistance in a short period of time,” said Kreckel.

About 10 percent of people 65 and older have Alzheimer’s, while nearly 50 percent at age 85 have the disease, he said.

In the brains of Alzheimer’s patients, plaques sometimes build up and fiber tangles form in brain cells.

He said memory lapses happen to most people. And he emphasized that most people don’t have a debilitating brain disease.

“The important message is to know that you are normal. You are not falling by the wayside. The important question to answer is, are you able to recover?”

The Elder Issues sessions are held at 1:30 p.m. on the first Tuesdays of most months at the Dixfield American Legion Hall. The next session, set for Dec. 2, will be on eating healthy foods over the holidays.

Copy the Story Link