Page 23 - Florida SeniorLivingGuide.com eBook Summer/Fall 2020 Edition

22 FEATURED ARTICLE FEATURED ARTICLE 23

for the rest of your life. information isn’t processed and retained as
The human brain excels at remembering efficiently as it was years ago. (You can teach
things like locations, learning, survival skills, an old dog new tricks, it just takes longer.)
interpreting social cues, and predicting future The normal memory loss of aging
events based on past experience. It is not interrupts your life but it doesn’t
great at memorizing names and numbers or interfere with your life.
doing more than one or two things at a time.
And yet, this is what is expected of us in our Memory impairment impacts your day-to-day
modern age. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– life, causing diffi-
We are bom- Suppose we remembered the details of every culty for you and
barded with day of our lives – exactly which pair of under- your loved ones.
huge amounts This includes for-
of informa- wear we wore, exactly which pen we used, and getting appoint-
tion, distract- exactly how much change we got from every ments or social
ed by sights transaction. The few people who were found to obligations,
and sounds, have that kind of memory function were actually being distracted
try to do too from the job at
many things burdened by the endless details. hand and not
at once, and –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– completing it,
are expected to memorize the names of repeating ques-
hundreds of strangers a year, not to mention tions multiple times, struggling with familiar
passwords and phone numbers. tasks, and showing poor judgment or choices
in financial and personal relationships.
As we age, every organ system shows atrophy
(thinning and shrinking of tissue), decreased Many things can interfere with memory, in-
circulation, and impeded electrical impulses cluding sleep deprivation, alcohol, stress, and
and sluggish chemical reactions. The brain is medications. So don’t diagnose yourself with
no exception. But we are still good at recall- Alzheimer’s disease based on a couple of
ing basic skills, understanding people, plan- small hiccups in your memory.
ning ahead, and finding our way around. If you or your family has concerns, the next
The aging brain does have problems step is a medical evaluation with blood work
recalling names and choosing the right word and brain imaging studies. Your problems
quickly. There is less ability to multi-task, could be normal aging, a reversible, treatable
and of course “the hereafter phenomenon.” case of memory loss or something
It also takes longer to learn new things. New more serious.

Parrish Healthcare is a full-service health care system
ready to assist you throughout every stage of life.
Visit parrishhealthcare.com/directory to search our physician/specialist directory
and schedule your appointment.