In addition to any medicines and lifestyle changes your doctor recommends, other “tune-ups” may help your memory and improve your quality of life:
Have your Doctor Review your Medicines
Some commonly used prescription and over-the-counter medicines can contribute to memory loss, particularly if taken over a long period of time. These “anticholinergic” drugs reduce the function of acetylcholine, a chemical that carries information among brain cells. The effects of these drugs seem to be strongest in older people.
Medicines with anticholinergic effects include some drugs prescribed for urinary incontinence, sleep, psychiatric conditions, gastrointestinal cramps, and allergies. Certain allergy medicines and sleep aids that you can buy without a prescription are anticholinergic.
Ask your doctor to review a list of your prescription and over-the-counter medicines to see if any of them might be affecting your memory. Do not stop taking your medicines without consulting your doctor.
Optimize Your Vision and Hearing
Poor vision and hearing are linked to memory loss. If it’s hard for you to hear people talking, have your doctor or an audiologist check your hearing. You should also have your eyesight checked every one to two years by an optometrist or ophthalmologist. Any vision or hearing problems should be corrected as much as possible.
Vision poor enough to cause people to give up activities seems to accelerate memory loss. If your vision can’t be corrected enough for you to do the things you like to do, talk with your doctor or an occupational therapist about devices and ideas to help you stay active.
Learn More
Tangled Neuron Posts:
Anticholinergic Medicines and Memory Loss
Does Loss of Vision Contribute to Memory Loss?
Other Resources:
National Institute on Aging: Aging and Your Eyes
National Institutes of Health Information on Low Vision
National Institute on Aging: Hearing Loss
