Mental lapses are laughable
when you are younger but when you officially become a senior, every time you
forget your car keys becomes a huge concern.
We all fear the worst but you will be pleased to know that dementia is not
a given. The experts assure us that
normal aging does not necessarily result in a significant decline in
intelligence, memory, or learning ability. Severe mental decline is generally from a
disease process rather than from normal aging. Whew, that’s a relief!
In the book “Healthy Aging
for Dummies” (Brent Agin, M.D.) we are told that certain brain changes are
inevitable, but that doesn’t mean that you have to slow down. You can take some steps that will help keep
the cobwebs at bay: exercising your mind, physical activity, proper nutrition,
stop smoking, drink alcohol only in moderation, manage stress, protect your
head when exercising and getting enough rest.
Whether you do these things or not is up to you, but pleading ignorance
isn’t going to help you either.
Exercising the mind is
probably the easiest and most fun way to keep yourself mentally sharp. Challenge yourself. Learn how to play a musical instrument, read,
do puzzles, games, learn a new language, take up a new hobby and stay up to
date on current events.
A friend of mine writes:
‘I don’t think that people
realize what is out there for them to do.
I recommend checking with local colleges and universities for programs
that seniors can audit (often for little or no tuition). There has
to be room in the class and you need to get permission from the
professor/instructor but that usually isn’t a problem. You still have travel costs and have to buy
the text book. There are many
interesting subjects available. When I
started Polish lessons there was another woman auditing it too, but she didn’t
stay with it. Because you aren’t paying
an arm and a leg for tuition, it is easy to figure that you can miss a time or
two, but if you do that enough, you will soon drop out. It is nice if you have a friend join you so
that you can motivate each other and study together. It is great fun but time
consuming, although I am sure that some subjects might not need as much hands
on work as a foreign language. I am
interested in Polish because we have family from over there and I have the
added incentive of trying to patch together letters to send them”.
Learning a language is a
huge undertaking and requires discipline. Another friend of mine is studying Norwegian
and kudos to both of these ladies. I have tried several times to learn Spanish
with a language tape but haven’t found enough time to stick to it. The local senior center does offer Spanish
and French conversation language instruction though so I haven’t ruled this out
yet. Seeing that I struggled with
languages when I was younger I can’t say that it is any more difficult now than
it was then. I do know that it is never too late to learn something new.
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