If you or one of your loved ones are getting older, you are probably interested in ways to boost your memory or theirs. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, memory loss is usually one of the first signals of other cognitive impairment or decline.
Our memory is very important to us. We need our memory to recollect essential parts from our past, whether they occurred a couple of seconds earlier, or years ago. Generally, our memory will certainly diminish, leaving us struggling to remember information.
It comes without argument that memory plays a key role in our lives. If our memory becomes slightly impaired, we suffer immediate consequences. In this article, we will discuss seniors not remembering specific tasks, events, and everyday situations. If seniors put this advice to good use, it can improve their memory.
20 Easy Ways to Boost Your Memory
Here are 20 ways to boost your memory if you are a senior. If you are a caregiver, you should try to condition your loved ones to practice these memory-boosting tips.
1. Calendars – Get a decent-sized calendar and instruct seniors to look at it throughout the day and check off tasks that were written. If they are unable to do that, you will need to write everything and help them remember what they need to do.
If you place the calendar next to their bed or another area where they spend a significant amount of time, it forces them to see it every day and remember what they need to do.
2. Wine – Did you know that drinking wine in moderation is another way to boost your memory? One of the principal ingredients in wine is resveratrol. Resveratrol is responsible for strengthening the brain, which might offset degenerative conditions in the brain.
3. Eat Well – Eating the right foods can keep your brain healthy and boost your memory. Contact a nutritionist or ask your doctor what foods are best to help seniors increase their memory.
4. Teach – Seniors who teach others help to boost their memories. After living a long life, most seniors are an expert at something. Take the time to let seniors pass on their knowledge to future generation senior citizens to keep their minds active.
5. Socialize – When seniors stay socially active, they are less likely to feel stressed or depressed. This is more the case when they are with family members. Always visit your senior loved ones, and make them feel a part of your life.
6. Repeat Information – Some seniors react to repeating the information that needs to be completed. For example, if they need to go to a doctor’s appointment at a particular time of the day, they can repeat that information to themselves out loud or silently to help them remember.
7. Exercise – Exercise is a way to increase blood flow in our bodies. The brain generates an average of 15% of our body’s blood flow. Exercise keeps the blood flowing. So, help your elderly loved ones to get out and walk or do other physical exercises that benefit their entire body, including their brain.
8. Video Games – Video games aren’t just for kids. The repetitive movements help reasoning and memory in the elderly. Find some games that are easy enough for them to use, and watch how it transforms their minds and puts smiles on their faces.
9. Yoga and Meditation – These are two disciplines that relieve stress and help to relax. Therefore, they are also ways to boost someone’s memory. Senior citizens can benefit from these, and yoga also helps strengthen their bodies, too.
10. Confidence – Some seniors start to lose their confidence as they get older. Their bodies don’t feel as fine-tuned as they once were, so they begin to have self-doubts. Keep their confidence level high by helping them remember things.
11. Organize – If seniors do not have a lot of clutter to go through to find things, it makes it easier to remember where something is at. If seniors place their house keys on a hook near the door each day, they will always remember where they are.
12. Favorite Senses – People process information in different ways. Therefore, there are different ways we prefer to use our senses to help us learn. Some people are visual learners and need to see information in front of them. Others depend on their hearing senses to process data through what they listen to. Find out how your loved one processes information the best, and help increase their memory.
13. Remember Names – When seniors make an effort to remember the names of people they meet, they can develop a system that helps them associate something with each name. For instance, if a woman’s name is Mary, seniors could associate her name with the holy Mother Mary.
14. Ginkgo – We have already discussed how exercise increases blood flow to the brain, which helps the brain. Ginkgo biloba is a natural supplement that increases blood flow, too. It is known to help with a dementia sufferer, and it could be an alternative way to helping seniors boost their memory.
15. Less Alcohol – When you consume less alcohol, you are literally saving the number of brain cells that you have. Too much alcohol can lead to temporary or permanent loss of memory.
16. Voice Messages – Create voice messages that your loved one can playback on their computer or cell phone. This helps them remember by hearing that information again. Sometimes, just a quick reminder is all that the elderly need to boost their memories.
17. Stop Stress – Continuous stress can destroy brain cells. It is necessary to teach seniors how to reduce stress or place them in environments where there are fewer reasons to become stressed.
18. Sleep – A peaceful night’s sleep is another way to help seniors stay productive throughout the day. How can the brain process more information if it is always tired? A rested brain is a more active one.
19. Prevent Distractions – If seniors can block outside distractions, then they have a better chance of retaining information.
20. Use It – If seniors don’t use their memory every day, they are almost sure to begin to forget important tasks or information. Make sure that they engage in activities that give their minds a mental workout. Whether they like to read, teach others, work on crosswords, or play chess, it is important they continue to do something they like that is a little challenging.
Ways to Boost Your Memory – Conclusion
There you have 20 different ways to boost your memory. These are simple tips that could have lasting effects on your loved one’s memory and mental health.
