Mt. Olive Seniors by Dixie Kuykendall

The North Jefferson News



For most of us, memory lapses, or “senior moments,” are a normal part of aging, not a warning of serious impairment.

We all get a little nervous when we can’t find our car keys or forget a phone number we’ve dialed a hundred times. Sometimes I think that I am having a “senior week” when the dumb things that I do and say seem to keep adding up.

We laugh about it, and that’s a good thing. Let’s start with good news:

• Not all forgetfulness, even dementia, is caused by Alzheimer’s disease

• Not all memory impairment among seniors reaches the severity of dementia

• Memory loss is not an inevitable result of aging.

• The brain is capable of producing new brain cells at any age.

• Brain training and new learning can occur at any age

• To a large extent, maintaining healthy memory is under your control

When it comes to memory, it’s “use it or lose it.” Just as physical exercise can make and keep your body stronger, mental exercise can make your brain work better and lower the risk of mental decline. Here are some ideas for brain exercise:

• Pay games that involve strategy, like bridge or bingo. (Another plug for the senior center!)

• Work crossword puzzles

• Read newspapers, magazines and books that challenge you

• Get in the habit of learning new things. Remember, you are never too old to learn. Come join us at the senior center and learn to paint.

• Take on a project that involves planning.



Normal forgetfulness

Some memory lapses are normal among older adults and generally are not considered warning signs of dementia:

• Forgetting where you put your glasses. Thank goodness — I’m constantly looking for mine.

• Forgetting names of acquaintances or figures in the news

• Occasionally forgetting an appointment. I try to always write myself notes, but I usually forget where I put the note.

• Having trouble remembering what you just read

• Walking into a room and forgetting why you entered

• Not quite being able to retrieve information you have “on the tip of your tongue”



State news

There were no new bills presented at all this work week.

For more than a week now the dispute over a Macon County Bingo bill has delayed most action in the chamber

The House approved the “Emergency Missing Senior Citizens Alert Act” that would provide “amber” type alerts for seniors who are missing. It now goes to the Senate.

The House Judiciary Committee read for the second time HB190 to exempt seniors 75 years or older from jury duty on request.

The Senate continued in a stalemate, precluding most bills of interest to seniors from being considered on the Senate floor.

Dixie Kuykendall writes a weekly column on Mt. Olive seniors. She can be reached at 631-0049 or at dixiek@bellsouth.net.