Facts on Aging & Memory Impairments
An overview of cognitive health as you age
One of my favorite pastimes is perusing the aisles of a bookstore. Call me old school, call me nerdy, I don’t care. Walking into a bookstore and looking at the titles, covers, illustrations, and more makes me think of the endless possibility of information. I like to do a similar scrolling on my local library’s virtual app where I browse book genres or hunt for a specific title.
Usually, it is quite relaxing. Emphasis on usually.
My relaxing virtual browsing gradually faded from hunky-dory to annoyed as I was in the health and fitness section of the app. This change in satisfaction to annoyance stemmed from seeing title after title on “how to stop aging,” or “we do not really need to age,” to “fast girl on dieting,” and other “catchy” titles that set my teeth on edge.
As an aging researcher and mental health provider focused on well-being and brain health, these types of titles perturb me. Often, these titles are by well-researched and well-intended researchers and providers who needed a catchy phrase for their book. And, I totally understand the need to grab people’s attention, but some titles also set the tone for ageism and misinformation to seep into important health information.
With all that, I thought it was time for me to put together an “aging well” sort of guide; you’ll see below things to recognize as part of the typical aging process and things that are not.
Something particularly unique about us humans today is that according to paleontological and biological records, we are the oldest generation since the beginning of mankind. You heard that right, the planet has never seen so many people in their 50s and above as it does today! That means, our understanding of aging and the processes of being a human who is 50+ is a somewhat new-er science.
We are still learning what it means to be ages 50+ and it gets quite complex when we add in other important factors such as physical and mental wellness, socioeconomic status, living location, partner status, and other factors that make us human.
I say this because being a human is wonderful on some days and tough on others. And “shaming” yourself and others for being “older” is a heavy burden to carry and not helpful in the slightest. Keep this in mind, as we dive into other aging characteristics.
Aging is a full-body process. This next section is going to focus on cognitive health and what we see as typical for humans during aging versus what could be signs of problems or disease. And please remember, this is educational and not diagnostic. Use this information to think about yourself and others, and build awareness of your abilities so that you can have productive discussions with your family and healthcare providers. As well, this is not comprehensive but rather focuses on the breadth of what we see in research regarding cognitive health. There is more detailed information available elsewhere and some of them are referenced below.
What are some cognitive differences as we age?
First and foremost, our abilities are different as we age. Look at it this way: think about what you could accomplish when you were 5 years old vs 20 years old. You are practically a different person! Jokes aside, you have had experience, growth, and learning that have shaped you into a more knowledgeable person. These processes do not go away when you become 25 years old. In fact, some things change for the better.
As you age, your ability to think about complex things (anything from technical details at your job to planning a vacation with 5+ family members with different schedules), gets better and quicker. Typically, you are able to evaluate situations faster and be able to provide a solution in a timely fashion. Related to this, you can usually communicate more concisely. You can have deep conversations and be more thoughtful than your younger self. Humans usually develop more empathy and can understand other people’s situations with greater care.
Another change we see often as we become 65+ years is that our ability to take in information may not be as quick as in our 30s and 40s. Outside of a hearing impairment in which someone literally cannot hear, your ability to take in information becomes slowed (what psychologists call “processing speed”). We also see the ability to multi-task may not be as sharp as before. However, humans are still able to do these tasks, it may just take some more time. And truthfully slowing down tasks can help build our mindfulness skills.
Memory Impairments, is that going to happen?
I know a big worry that comes up with aging is memory. “Will I lose my memory like my grandpa,” is a common phrase I get asked by my patients in the clinic. It is important to recognize that “losing your memory,” or not being able to recall a great deal of past information is not a typical part of aging. What we do know is that, as we age we are accumulating more knowledge and experiences and our brain will only concisely hold onto important information. This is because you are taking in new information almost every second and while it feels like you have “stopped” learning once you’re out of school, your senses and ability to learn continues even post-graduation. Humans may or may not experience memory impairments as we age; risk factors include cardiovascular difficulties, family history of memory impairment, traumatic brain injuries, significant and chronic use of alcohol, nicotine, and drugs, and lack of social and cognitive engagement to name a few.
What symptoms are clinicians looking out for regarding cognitive decline?
Many times, people fear that because they cannot recall the “restaurant I went to two weeks ago,” then they “must have dementia.” That is not a direct correlation. According to research at the Alzheimer’s Disease Center at Kansas Medical Center, 83% of individuals experience this and do not have a diagnosed memory impairment.
Rather, clinicians and researchers become alerted to memory impairments when they are happening more often and the lack of memory is impairing daily living. Having difficulties completing everyday tasks like paying bills, following a recipe, or completing routine tasks at home alerts clinicians that something outside of normal aging may be occurring. Forgetting about frequent appointments, having to repeat themselves or have others repeat themselves in many conversations, not being able to communicate difficulties, and potentially having others just answer for them, alerts clinicians that further evaluation is needed. Other characteristics such as changes in personality, inability to make clear decisions, and getting lost in familiar places are also things that clinicians keep an eye on.
How do we manage our cognitive health?
In taking all of this into consideration, how do we manage this? I am happy to report that we can take steps in our health for “aging wellness.” Research suggests that the combination of good nutrition, physical activity, mental well-being, cognitive stimulation, quality sleep, and social engagement may often promote and maintain brain health. Other things that help cognitive health are reducing and/or eliminating smoking and alcohol use and getting routine medical care. These are aspects that we can start at any point in life, so take care of your health, schedule time to meet with your friends, find a physical movement that you like, and enjoy all foods in moderation. We only have one brain in this life. Take care of this organ that way it can take care of you ;).
Check out more of my content on instagram @insessionwithdanielle to learn more!
References:
- https://memory.ucsf.edu/symptoms/healthy-aging#:~:text=Normal%20Aging%20vs.&text=In%20abnormal%20aging%2C%20declines%20in,behaving%20outside%20of%20social%20rules.
- https://alzheimer.ca/en/about-dementia/do-i-have-dementia/differences-between-normal-aging-dementia
- https://www.kumc.edu/documents/alzheimers/5-7-21-Normal-vs-Abnormal-Aging.pdf
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6128051/
