You stand in the kitchen, thinking: I came in here to do something — but what? Or you pay for two hours of parking but forget to return in time to feed the meter.
While these irritating little memory slips do become more common with age, you don’t have to resign yourself to fumbling through life like an absent-minded professor.
By learning a bit about how your memory works, and building on brain functions that either remain stable or actually grow stronger with age, you can outsmart normal age-related memory changes.
What’s more, many of these strategies can also help you compensate for the brain fog associated with chemotherapy, and some chronic illnesses.
You can learn more by reading Managing Your Memory, my March health story for Good Times.
Many thanks to the three interviewees who so generously shared their time and expertise:
- Dr. Christina Gojmerac, a clinical neuropsychologist with the Seniors Mental Health Program and Clinical Neuropsychology Service at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton (Ont.), and an assistant professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioural neurosciences at McMaster University.
- Heather Palmer, national director of cognitive wellbeing at Amica Senior Lifestyles.
- Dr. Susan Vandermorris, a clinical neuropsychologist in the Memory and Aging Program and Geriatric Assessment Clinic at Baycrest Health Sciences in Toronto.
Interested in delving deeper? Watch this webinar from the Canadian Cancer Survivor Network, featuring a presentation by Heather Palmer. It’s just one of many helpful resources featured on their site.