It’s bad enough to decline physically.  Even worse is mental decline. The idea of losing cognitive power frightens everyone.  It’s especially frightening if you’ve witnessed anyone descend into the abyss of Alzheimer’s.   Our ability to think makes us human.  Our memories are the record of our life.  When dementia robs a person of these, they’ve lost something truly precious.

Take the case of Edith, one of my elderly patients.  She had a shuffling gait and a vacant gaze.  Because of her live-in caregiver, she was neatly dressed and groomed.  As she sat, she looked at the woman next to her, her daughter, and asked: “Where’s Kate?  Do you know where Kate is?”  “I’m here Mom.  I’m Kate.”  “No you’re not, my Kate is a little girl.  Where’s Kate?”

Sadly, I’ve seen too many people like Edith.  Fortunately, it doesn’t have to happen.   You can stay mentally clear and crisp well into old age. You know this to be true – you’ve seen it.   I’m sure at some point you’ve met a person with plenty of years who was still sharp as anything.  Aren’t those people a delight?  Don’t they exude life?

It’s possible to grow old and age minimally.  But it doesn’t happen by accident.  Habitual choices carry long term consequences.  Research gives us some pretty strong suggestions on how to stay sharp as we grow old.

Here’s a quick run down of some ways to maintain your mental edge over time.  You’ll see some familiar recommendations.  A healthy lifestyle benefits all of you, including your brain. Continue Reading »
Stay Mentally Sharp as Time Goes By

Bookmark to:
         

A few days ago, I described the four stages of learning.  In that post, I used a child learning to tie their shoelaces as an example of the process.

Since I wrote that, it’s occurred to me that there’s another point to be made using that example. It’s at least as important as the knowledge of the four stages.  Realizing this will both speed your progress and increase your joy as you achieve unconscious competence.

Continue Reading »
Be Easy With Yourself About Learning

Bookmark to:
         

My son is doing very well in an intermediate calculus course at a very challenging university.  Now, I knew a bit of calculus myself “back in the day”.  I majored in physics as an undergrad and upper level physics uses a lot of advanced calculus.  I liked it and did pretty well at it.  In fact, I was an instructor for my university’s introductory calculus class after I graduated.

So I thought it might be interesting to see what questions my son had on his calculus midterm and I asked him to send me some to look at.  Well, it was interesting, but not in the way I had hoped.  I knew zip.  It was as if I had never known any of it.

That really isn’t surprising.  We all know we forget what we don’t use.  If we want to stay competent with a body of information, we need to use. 

Here’s a routine that only takes a few minutes to raise your retention from 20% to over 80% in the long term.

Continue Reading »
Remember More of What You Learn

Bookmark to:
         

If you have not heard of the term mind mapping yet, now is a good time to learn about it. You will certainly be missing out on a lot of things if you are still using the old
‘listing’ technique or taking down notes when studying, mapping out a plan or drafting an outline for a project at school or at work.

Not only does mind mapping eliminate the need for tedious lists, but it also works the same way that the human brain works, so coming up with a mind map or concept map is a breeze for anybody who wants to try it out.

Continue Reading »
The Numerous Benefits of Mind Mapping

Bookmark to: