Got Memory Loss? A Different Approach

So you have memory loss.  Maybe serious memory loss.  Of course you should pay attention to your health and make necessary arrangements.  But maybe the best thing you can do is pay attention to life.

While some scientists work to identify pharmaceutical treatments for memory loss, others are working to test whether activities such as painting, playing an instrument or dancing are beneficial.  Don Moyer, his wife Jenny Knaus (diagnosed with Alzheimer's) and Renee Beard, a geriatric sociologist, have collaborated to develop a database of the latter type of research.  The resulting information is available on Dancing Away Memory Blues, Don's blog.

On the blog, Don, Jenny and Renee list and summarize published studies on how activities in each of six categories (music, visual arts, drama, dance, mixed and other) can enhance the lives (and maybe improve the health) of people with memory loss.

If you need an excuse to learn to play the harmonica, or take up painting, this is it!

Comments

[Gail Rae Hudson]

When Mom and I paint eggs, which isn't really often but isn't really occasional, either, one of the pleasures, for me, is noticing that her concentration and attention spans suddenly become acute...not just acute for her but acute for anyone. It's hard to get her started. She resists the idea of "doing", versus "being", but, you know, once we get started (usually by me just doing the activity in front of her, which stimulates her desire to "do") I think what happens is that she slips into an area where "doing" and "being" are compatible...isn't that the definition of "flow state", come to think of it?
Interesting...maybe "flow" isn't dependent on, oh, let me think, "brain age"? Maybe it's dependent on being allowed to have some self respect for where one is at any particular time and knowing that those surrounding you have respect for where you are.
Hmmm...as always, thought provoking, Mona.

[Gail Rae Hudson]

Afterthought:
The irony of someone who is 56 and tests at a brain age of 70 giving tips on how to refresh one's brain has not escaped me. That being said, I have one more tip: Alternate periods of brain work with brain play. Sometimes it's hard for me to figure out what the difference is but I can pass on this observation: When I notice that my brain is lagging from doing a session of rote work at the computer, I switch over and play free cell for a few minutes, playing at trying to solve every game with which I'm presented, even if it means starting over and losing the count as a win. This game, in particular, is a good one for stimulating what I call "peripheral brain response"...which means that I sort of go blank when I'm playing and rely on my brain to reshuffle whatever order of cards with which the game presents me...and sort it out without conscious thought. The more I am able to do this, the more refreshed my brain feels.
Sudoku would probably do this, as well, for people who like to fool with numbers. So would word games like finding words in a maze of letters...what are those called again???? Ooops, that must be my 70 year old brain on overdrive!!!!

[Scott Weikart]

The new URL for their blog is http://dancing-away-memory-blues.blogspot.com/; see the links for the different types of activity at the top of the right-hand column.