April 10, 2014

Memory Loss
A Matter of Age Vs. A Matter of Action

Olvera Mandujano, Marili
Health Services

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As children, many of us are brought up to think that as you age you start to experience
back pain and fatigue. That you will grow to become weak and slow, that you will start to lose
the abilities you once had and of course, that you will experience some sort of memory loss.
These are all things we are brought up to believe at a young age. In fact, when I was younger,
my grandmother would tend to forget simple things like where she left her purse. Her only
excuse was, Im just getting old. I caught my mother and father saying it a couple times as
well; and not just them, but many other adults that surrounded me as well. It became a
common phrase, but just because it is common, does that mean it is true?
I believe that memory loss is not a matter of age, but it is a matter of action; the actions
that each individual will take to preserve their memory. Its like any other health condition;
there would be no need to seek a cure when it can easily be prevented. Memory loss is a
condition that can be cured the same way it can be prevented. By keeping an active mind set it
automatically keeps your memory functioning in a healthy way. Paying close attention to your
diet and what it contains is also a big factor of preserving a good memory. Consuming lots of
omega-3, essential oils, and berries among many other things are great food sources that help
preserve a healthy memory. In the article from Pick Your Brain it says, Keep in mind that all
cells need nutrients to continue their growth (Sera Filson, June 2011). When you have more
neurons and connections in your brain it means you have a stronger memory and a well
working mind; this is caused by feeding your brain with foods that will improve its function.
There are many ways a person can keep an active mind. Even the simplest things like
changing up your daily routines so that you are not constantly doing the same thing. When your
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mind gets used to things it no longer feels the need to work in a productive way. Its like when
you work out, if you keep doing the same workouts eventually your body will start to get used
to it, and since there is no challenge to the task it no longer causes improvement in the body.
The same thing happens to the mind, you want to constantly be challenging your brain so that
it stays intact, healthy, and functioning well. The more you exercise your brain the stronger it
will get.
For my senior project two of my class mates and I went over to a retirement home
called Avamere a Family of Companies (in Hillsboro); a community with both assisted and
independent living facilities. Here we met with the manager of activities Lesa Weislogel (our
mentor). Lesa gave us the idea of starting a memory enhancement workshop. In this workshop
we had three different levels of memory: we had the levels low, medium, and high. From these
three levels we were able to make up three separate classes and each of us where in charge of
directing one class. We started off by having each participant take a test to decide in what class
they would be put in according to their test results.
Lorena (partner 1), was in charge of directing the low level class. This is the level in
which we placed all the participants who had a score of 19 and lower on the test. These
participants had a more difficult time with all the activities. Many of them even would even
forget when they were to go to class. It was hard to figure out what activities to give them
because you didnt want to do something that seemed impossible for them to do, but you still
wanted it to challenge their minds to do more. Some of the people in this group have had some
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sort of brain damage which also impacts their memory and is what caused them to have such a
hard time with it.
In this group level there was one participant who had brain damage due to a car
accident she had around the age of 22. The damage done to the brain also affected the part of
the brain that has to do with short term memory; in other words, dementia. Although this
participant is still very young, she still had a hard time with questions like math problems or
details from a short story. If we asked her to remember 5 object, and then asked her 2-3
minutes later what those objects where, she wasnt able to remember them. Because of this
problem she was put in the lower level group; It was a challenging task for this participant but
very helpful as well.
Dementia isnt only a condition by damage to the brain; it is caused by other things as
well. It can be caused by a disease that involves decrease of nerve cells, intoxication (alcohol &
drugs), deficiency of nutrients, kidney or lung diseases, and accidents (damage to the brain).
According to the WebMD website, up to 5-8% of all people, over the age of 65, develop
dementia (2005-2014 WebMD.LLC). However dementia that is caused by things like tumors that
can be removed, or nutrient deficiency, can be treated. Although, if a person still doesnt suffer
from dementia, they wont have to worry about treating it, but, they should do what they can
to prevent it from happening; as the saying says, its better to be safe than sorry.
In the medium level memory class we had all the participants who scored a 20-26; this
class was led by Johanna (partner 2). This group did a little better with the assignments, but
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still had a hard time. Some of the activities Johanna did with this group where: Sudoku, word
search, memory circle, the snack activity, and Spanish class.
The Spanish class was a really good activity to do with this group. Learning new things,
especially a new language, is a great source for memory enhancement. Learning a new
language allows the brain to practice short term memory as well as long term memory. Simply
by using techniques to remember the pronunciation of the word is a great way to exercise your
short term memory. Many times what people do, to help them remember how to pronounce a
word, is that they relate it to something they already know, or find something that makes it
easy to remember. By doing this they are exercising theyre long term memory as they retract
the information that they already know.
I worked with the high level group. In this group we had the participants who scored a
27 and over on the test. These participants have less memory issues than the other two levels.
The main goal for this group was to challenge their brains with different activities. Although,
just like with the low level group, it was hard to pick out activities that would challenge them
but at the same time avoid creating too much of a challenge for them; if the activity is too
challenging it can cause confusion and frustration in the participant, which really wouldnt help
to enhance your memory.
In my group I did not have to deal with participants who have dementia, Alzheimers, or
any severe memory problems like that. In fact all of the participants in my group had a very
active memory for their age. I did, however, have to deal with other small details from specific
participants. Some of them would be picky about noise being made in the class and would ask
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for it to be completely quiet as they worked on their assignments, especially when I explained
the activities. When I would explain how to do the activities at the beginning of the class, I had
to make sure I was being loud and clear for everyone to hear me well; more because many of
them used hearing aids. I also had to make sure each class started and ended on time, most of
the participants in my class really valued their time so they didnt want any of it to be wasted.
This made me keep an organized schedule to make sure I made that happen for them, so that
was an experience and problem that I was able to learn from. A side form all of that, their
where many other small details that I had to pay attention to; making sure they stayed focused,
that they understood the activities, and make sure they completed each activity. Over all, it was
a difficult task to lead this class, it was a real challenge for me and the participants, but at the
end of the day it was an experience that was worthwhile for all of us.
When a persons mind is confused and put under pressure it blocks the brain from
functioning to the best of its capability; the mind is blinded by the stress. If a person is more
focused and relaxed, then they will be able to have more mental clarity. This is where the
meditation activity came of good use. I came up with this activity based off the information I
had been reading from different articles like, how to improve your memory by Melinda Smith,
M.A., and Lawrence Robinson (April 2014). In this activity, the participants had to completely relax and
focus on the series of questions I would ask them; questions that would ask them to think back to a
certain time in their life, making them use their short and long term memory. Not only was it a good
activity to help them work on their short and long term memory, but it was also a great way to show
them how to focus their mind on one thing without distracting themselves.
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Some of the worksheet activities we chose for the memory enhancement classes where
anagrams, word-search, & Sudoku. Memory circle is another activity we did where each
member of the group would share a significant memory from their life with the group. After
that, they had to go around and try to repeat a memory shared by one of the other members in
the group. There was also a meditation exercise we did that would help them focus and
concentrate on to retrace memories easily. Apart from the mental exercises we did in class, we
also took the time to focus one of the classes on learning what foods help enhance the
memory. Each person got to make their own snack bags, in shapes of a butterfly, and they were
able to use almonds, chocolate covered berries, walnuts, or dried cranberries to their liking.
Although it was hard to find which activities best suited this program, it was probably
the easiest part of this project. We came across many difficult times that where not easy to
overcome. For example, in my group, I had the participants who were very picky and particular.
I had to pay close attention to everything I said and did and how they were done, because they
got offended or irritated easily. Its understanding of course, considering the fact that they is all
from a different generation in which the customs are different; for example, in my class, there
was a problem with the use of the term, you guys, and I had to correct myself and replace it
for the term, you ladies or you all; so that they would not feel offended. I also had to pay
close attention to the difficulty level of the activities I used. Just because the activity seemed
easy to me does not mean they will seem easy to them.
Even when many of the activities where challenging to the participants, they started to
notice that the activities where making a difference. The further we got into the workshop, the
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better they got at taking those challenging tasks and working through them. Towards the
beginning of the workshop I handed them a Sudoku puzzle for them to work on, many of them
had a super hard time with this activity. In fact, they had such a hard time with it, that some of
them just decided to give up on it. Others took that challenge and chose to make it a hobby
until they understood the full concept of the task.
By the end of the workshop there were a few of them who worked on a Sudoku puzzle
daily. Sudoku was no longer a challenge; it became something they could do for fun no matter
how hard the puzzle got. This happened because they slowly trained their brain to do what they
wanted it to. They did this by exercising the brain with all the different activities they had been
doing. As I mentioned before, our memory becomes stronger when it is constantly being active
and alert; it is necessary to, just like our body, give our brain a work out as well.
Going into this project I had no idea I would be learning as much as I have. Its an
experience that has taught me so much about a subject that I usually never acknowledged.
Memory loss is a common matter, although it is not something people usually worry about. If
anything people tend to worry about hair loss more than memory loss. It may also be because
no one really pays attention as in to why memory loss occurs. If people knew more about what
causes memory loss, then Im sure more people would pay more attention to the subject. Age is
not the only cause for memory loss; there are many other causes as well; just like there are
many ways to prevent from memory loss. Memory loss is not a matter of age; it is a matter of
the actions each individual takes to preserve it.

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Bibliography:
http://www.psychologistworld.com/memory/
http://www.psychologistworld.com/memory/test1.php
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/words.html
http://www.mindgames.com/mindgame.php?mind=Memory+Challenge&game=120
http://www.m.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/alzheimers-dementia?page=3