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THE SHORTCUT TO A BETTER MEMORY IN ELDER PEOPLE: EXTERNAL AIDS
Unless becoming a mental Hercules is your goal, it is silly to force your memory to do everything on its own. Entering the grocery store with a written list is much saner than burdening your mind with the heroic task of remembering everything you need. Keeping an appointment book is far preferable to memorizing your dinner date for two Tuesdays from now. So anyone who is upset about forgetting should rely heavily on helpers such as the written word. Here are some common things we forget and some creative ways to enhance your memory by external aids.
Problem: Remembering to turn off the stove, remove the laundry from the washer or dryer, or leave the house on time for an appointment. Solution: Use a kitchen timer. Set it for the appropriate time and take it around the house with you to be sure you hear it.
Problem: Remembering to pack all the clothing (and other items) you need for a trip. Solution: Do not put items into the suitcase randomly. Make a list of what you want to take. Start with shoes and work upwards to hats. Gross off each item as you pack it.
Problem: Remembering to remove food from the freezer. Solution: Hang a note on the freezer door the minute you decide what you want to cook.
Problem: Remembering to take essentials such as keys or purse when you leave the house. Solution: Pin a note to the door. Have you forgotten your keys? Did you remember your purse?
Problem: Remembering whether you took your medication.
Solution: Every Sunday before you go to bed, put out the next week's medication. Cut up an egg carton or buy a pillbox and put each day's pills in their own space. Then checking whether the space has the pill you are concerned about will tell you what you want to know.
Problem: Remembering birthdays or anniversaries. Solution: At the beginning of each month, mentally go through children, grandchildren, and close friends. Ask yourself who is having a birthday or an anniversary that month. Then write down the month's list and post it where it is easily seen. Make it a habit to look at the list every Sunday night.
Problem: Remembering what you came into a room to get or do. Solution: Do the chore the second you think about it. Or write it down to do later.
A good deal of effort can be saved by using your mental powers mainly to come up with creative props rather than memorizing everything. But for those of you who are determined to be heroic and develop your memory muscles, there is this final advice. Once you have mastered your projects or reached your goals, if you are truly serious about making permanent improvement, continue to exercise! One of the discouraging things researchers observe is that older people learn new memorization strategies easily and well. They can indeed help dramatically. But as with any project that takes work, people often backslide. So keep using those new techniques and extending your memory skills to new things. It is not true that as we get older our minds dull or our memories must begin to go. What we do can make a big difference in how we think.
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GENERAL HEALTH
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