Science knows a lot about the human brain today, but even now it is not fully understood. However, there is no doubt that for humans the brain is the main organ of perception and knowledge of the surrounding world. Surprisingly, this organ of small volume and weighing less than two kilograms is responsible for controlling the entire human body.
The brain is characterized by a dynamic and sensitive to the slightest influences connection between cells, it can restore damaged neural connections and create new ones, reacts with lightning speed to any failures in the body systems and strives to restore their functionality as soon as possible.
But, unfortunately, any failure leaves a trace. The capabilities of the brain in this regard are by no means limitless. Over time, his ability to work, as well as his ability to recover, becomes worse, and this causes a huge number of different cognitive disorders.
Just as effort is required to maintain intelligence at a high level (we wrote about this in detail in the article “Development of thinking. What to do to become smarter”), the brain also requires care, namely rest, supply of necessary substances, maintaining plasticity, ensuring proper blood circulation, etc.
At the same time, it is one thing to understand that you need to take care of your mind and brain, and quite another to know how this is done in practice. With this article we want to expand your knowledge by talking about how to maintain a clear mind and intelligence in old age. It may be too early to think about old age, but in any case: forewarned means forearmed.
Reasons for the deterioration of the ability to remember in adulthood
There are natural reasons that inhibit mental activity. As well as external factors affecting concentration and the ability to remember.
The first include:
- Slowing down metabolic processes in the body;
- Vascular dysfunction.
- Injuries or infections of the head that lead to dysfunction of some of its parts;
- Lack of physical activity;
- Unbalanced diet;
- Stroke or heart attack;
- Lack of interest in new knowledge and hobbies;
- Stress and depression.
This causes neurons to lack oxygen and nutrients. Concentration and memory ability gradually decrease.
External factors include:
Short-term memories disappear first. That is, the information received last is forgotten.
How can you develop memory and attention if you urgently need to start somewhere?
Bad memory?
No, this is not about me. Here I taught my daughter a poem. I, with my wise logic, practice of studying in three higher educational institutions, the ability to connect anything and everything, knowledge of how to develop memory in an adult, exercises for effective memorization (psychology department) and my third-grader daughter. Who will remember faster? Of course it's me. I had no doubts) But when we started learning the poem and repeating the lines, it turned out that she remembers much better, her memory is like a sponge.
He took in the water and squeezed out the water. Of course, early training using the Makoto Shichida method has an effect. But still.
And my memory needed preliminary work - searching for associations, what it looked like, what to connect with, it was not easy. And after so much tying work, I still couldn’t remember the lines.
And then I seriously thought about the memory of an adult. Are there effective exercises for developing memory and attention? What should I do?
Indeed, with age, cognitive abilities, which include memory, become more specific, selective, and economical.
But there is a solution!
Memory Tests
To determine how developed mental activity is, neurologists use memory tests for older people.
To conduct the test you need: a watch, paper and a pen. Within 60 seconds you need to remember the following words: haystack, sidewalk, castle, century, strip, film, carriage, aroma, landscape, Carpathians, moon, Himalayas, actor, stillness, book, calendar, flower, man, hill, woman, taxi , abstraction, vessel, helicopter, gift.
When time is up, write down the words you remember on a piece of paper:
- Less than 6 – specialist consultation and a program for training memory functions are required;
- 7-12 - attention and concentration suffer;
- 13-17 - good memory ability;
- 18-22 - the result is above average, phone numbers, card PIN codes and other important information are easy to remember;
- More than 22 - a high result, the ability to quickly remember large amounts of information, analyze and systematize it in your head.
Do several of these tests to determine the level of neuron activity in your brain.
Recommendations
The same methods that promote physical health help maintain intellectual potential. Take steps to prevent cognitive decline early.
- Stay socially active. People who do not communicate with family and have few friends are at high risk of memory problems. High-quality “live” communication reduces stress, gives pleasure, and stimulates brain activity. Plan meetings with friends, join a club of interests, attend sections and clubs.
- Get rid of nicotine addiction. Smoking increases the risk of vascular diseases and impairs the supply of oxygen to the brain.
- Learn to manage stress. Excess cortisol, the stress hormone, damages the brain over time. When a person is under stress, absent-mindedness and problems concentrating occur. Simple stress management techniques can help minimize the harmful effects of negative factors. The main rule is to express your feelings in a constructive way, do not suppress emotions, and do not fixate on unpleasant events.
- Get enough sleep. Full, sufficient sleep is necessary for the coordinated functioning of the body's systems. Lack of sleep negatively affects the emotional state and provokes cognitive impairment.
- Watch your diet. A balanced, regular diet and adequate drinking are the basis of physical and mental well-being. Eat fresh, chemical-free foods. Diversify your menu. If you have chronic diseases, make up your diet in accordance with medical recommendations.
- Be physically active. Walk outdoors every day. Moderate cardio and strength training has a beneficial effect on brain function. Give preference to outdoor sports, for example, cycling (if there are no contraindications). A great way to achieve harmony of soul and body is yoga, breathing exercises, and qigong gymnastics.
Techniques and exercises
If doctors discover serious abnormalities, they prescribe a course of drug treatment. But in some cases, you can get by with exercises for the brain and memory for an elderly person, which are performed at home with the help of loved ones.
Memory
For the exercise you will need a set of cards with paired images on them. Lay out the cards face down and turn them over one at a time, remembering which picture is which and collecting the same ones.
Subsequence
You need to take 15 items, it is important that they are new and unfamiliar. They need to be placed in random order on the table. For 60 seconds you need to look at these objects and remember how they are located relative to each other. After this, the assistant must mix them, and the trainee must put them in the right order.
Fine motor skills
Exercises performed with the fingers to improve memory in older people are very useful for mental activity. Doctors recommend mastering the skill of knitting and embroidery. If this is difficult, you should start with simple exercises. Scatter the peas and buckwheat on the table in front of you, mix, then divide into grains.
Art therapy
This technique is used to restore memory after a stroke in the elderly. The patient must be treated by a doctor. The essence of the technique is to use colors and their shades to develop new connections between neurons in the brain. At home, it is useful for older people to draw, mixing colors and obtaining new shades.
New skills
As an adult, it is useful to learn new skills. For example, learn to work on a computer, learn a foreign language. This stimulates neurons and makes them work fully.
Card games
Another option for keeping an elderly person with poor memory occupied is playing cards. Such games are based on memorizing moves and cards used. It develops the mind and does not get boring over time.
Online Games
As an alternative to home exercises, you can use brain simulators on a computer or tablet. The advantage of the electronic version is that before starting classes you are asked to take a test to determine your ability level.
Forget the advice about learning poetry. Memorizing without using imagination and associative thinking will not improve the situation. Such information quickly “flies” out of your head as unnecessary.
Benefits of staying at the Olympia House nursing home
It is not always possible for loved ones and relatives to be with older people 24 hours a day.
Without sufficient communication and in social isolation, dementia can develop and memory deteriorates; a private boarding house for the elderly in the Moscow region offers comprehensive care for its residents:
- optimal conditions have been created for comfortable living in common rooms, communication with neighbors and peers is ensured;
- increasing the level of physical activity, interesting leisure activities are organized and care for the elderly in Moscow includes walks;
- boarding houses provide high-quality, varied and nutritious food with a carefully selected and balanced diet;
- adherence to a daily routine with mandatory sleep and proper rest, physical activity, and physical therapy.
The staff of the boarding house are always close to the wards, ready to provide them with the necessary assistance in performing any tasks. In boarding houses, individual recovery and rehabilitation programs are developed and applied, and various memory improvement techniques are used.
The deterioration of memory and thought processes is perceived by many people as one of the obligatory signs of aging. But this fairly common problem can be dealt with, which is included in the complex of care offered by the Olympia House network of private boarding houses for the elderly.
Quick Memorization Methods
Methods for quickly memorizing information in older people will help retain important information in their minds:
- Association method - if you need to remember a name, title or number, it must be compared with an object or famous person with the same name;
- Abbreviation - a phrase is easier to remember if you take the first letters of each word, for example “you need to go to the dentist” - NPS;
- Visualization is a very effective method; you need to imagine in your imagination what you want to remember;
- From complex to simple - if you need to learn a large amount of knowledge, it is better to break it down into small blocks and learn gradually;
- Rhyming - with the help of poetic form, information is absorbed 4 times better;
- Hook method - numbers are better remembered if you replace them with objects. For example, 0 is a donut, 1 is a stick, 2 is a swan.
Everyone chooses an option that is convenient for themselves.
You can also train your brain using these methods.
Recommendations from experts
To stop forgetting, it is important not only to exercise daily, but also to adjust your lifestyle and diet. Brain activity is affected by general physical condition.
How to preserve memory in old age:
- Physical activity: you need to go for a walk or jog every day - this strengthens not only physical health, but also the nervous system;
- Proper nutrition: Vitamins and fatty acids are necessary to maintain stable brain activity. They are found in meat, fish, nuts, vegetables and fruits;
- Get adequate sleep: A 7-hour night's rest is essential for neuronal recovery;
- Single-tasking: focusing on one task helps you cope better with it and remember the sequence of actions.
If you or your loved ones have memory problems, do not ignore it. Research by neurophysiologists has proven that most functions can be restored. Therefore, follow the advice of experts and do the necessary exercises.
Organize your life
You will constantly forget things if your house is cluttered and your notes are in disarray. Record tasks, appointments, and other events in a special notepad, calendar, or computer. Get into the habit of repeating each note out loud to commit it to memory. Keep to-do lists and check off items you complete. Designate a place for your wallet, keys, glasses and other essentials. Don't do many things at once. If you focus on the information, you will easily remember it later. Associate what you are trying to save with a favorite song or other associations.
Medications to improve memory
You can also support your body with medication. Before starting to take medication, in any case, it is better to consult a doctor and read the contraindications in the instructions.
Vitamins based on ginseng
Multivitamins containing ginseng have proven themselves to be an effective remedy in the fight for memory preservation:
- excitability decreases,
- the effects of nervous and physical stress are reduced,
- immunity is strengthened.
Glycine
“Glycine” is one of the most popular drugs since Soviet times among the elderly:
- metabolism is regulated,
- performance increases,
- sleep is normalized,
- relieves tension and anxiety.
It has no contraindications, but sometimes there is an individual intolerance to the components in the Glycine tablets. You should stop taking the medication if allergies, drowsiness, or tinnitus occur.
