In 2005, Zach Jordan’s future father-in-law asked him to join him on his quest to climb Kilimanjaro.  He saw it as an opportunity to get to know each another and establish a strong relationship.

As they prepared for the climb, his own father began his journey ‘down the rabbit hole of Alzheimer’s’.  All three were facing the climb of their lives and the mountain became a metaphor.  Zach has filmed the story of his father-in-law, his father’s Alzheimer’s, and himself, a father-to-be, trying to glean wisdom and grow up in the face of new beginnings and the sunset of the man who was supposed to give him all the answers.

Read his story

Have you ever wondered why people don’t seem to know much ‘general knowledge’ these days? You are not the only one who wants to know why.

Researchers at Columbia University conducted an experiment to find out if  people remembered the information they looked up on Google, in the same way as students recall facts they believe will be in a test.

Dr. Sparrow and her collaborators, Daniel M. Wegner of Harvard and Jenny Liu of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, staged four different memory experiments. In one, participants typed 40 bits of trivia like this one – “an ostrich’s eye is bigger than its brain” — into a computer.

Half of the people thought the information would be saved in the computer; the other half thought the items they typed would be erased.

Result?

“People did not make the effort to remember when they thought they could later look up the information later”.

Does having a computer affect what we remember?

Do YOU try to think about the answer to a question or do you go to Google to look up the answer?

Try it for yourself.

Here’s the question:
Are any countries with only one color in their flag?

Did you think about flags — or did you want to go online to find out?

Participants in the study were asked to remember both the question itself and which of five computer folders it was saved in.

The researchers were surprised to find that people remembered the folder better than the question.

Result?

We don’t bother to remember if we know we can find the information later.

We rely on our family, friends and co-workers as well as computers and reference material to store information for us. If we know someone else (especially Google!) knows, then we don’t make the mental effort to commit the information to memory.

Dr. Sparrow concludes that human memory is adapting to new communications technology.

“Google has become our primary external storage system”.

So, what does this study mean for you?

It is research-based proof of the fact that your brain needs prompting if you want to remember something without relying on Google or someone else.

Three Lessons

1. Focus on information you want to remember.
2. Connect the new facts to something you already know.
3. Rehearse the new information. Repeat in after a few minutes, an hour later and the next day.

What can you do right now to start building a better memory?

It’s never too late to start re-growing YOUR brain connections.  The science is clear that it’s the best, non-prescription protection against memory loss.  Fill in the Memory Check box below and you’ll get two things:

1. A quick self-analysis of how sharp your memory is right now.
2. A brief 6-part course that will give you some easy-to-follow tools to help you build your memory and keep it fit.

Written about in the New York Times, July 14, 2011

We know exercise is good for us – the trouble is, it means stopping what you are doing, getting out of that comfy chair and putting one foot in front of the other!

And we all know of some fitness freak who died at a frighteningly early age. Look where exercise got him!

But an exciting new study has just demonstrated that we don’t have to exercise like crazy to have a fit and alert mind.
Moderate, everyday exercise will do it.

That’s great news!

New studies just published by Canadian researchers measured the brain function and exercise levels of a large group of elderly adults for two to five years. Most of the volunteers described their exercise as “walking around the block, cooking, gardening, cleaning and that sort of thing,” said Laura Middleton, associate professor at the University of Waterloo in Ontario.

But the effects of this modest exercise on the brain were remarkable. The volunteers who took no exercise scored significantly worse over the years on tests of cognitive function but the most active group showed little decline.

About 90 percent of those with the greatest daily energy expenditure found that they could think and remember just about as well as when they began the study. And this ability remained year after year.

“Our results indicate that vigorous exercise isn’t necessary to protect your mind”, Dr. Middleton said. “I think that’s exciting.”

In another study in the same journal, women, mostly in their 70s, either with vascular disease (‘hardening of the arteries’) or were at risk of developing it, were surveyed for five years. The most active walked but the others took only moderate or no exercise.  Again there was “a decreasing rate of cognitive decline” among the active group much less that among the sedentary.

“Walking and other light activity had bought them, essentially, five years of better brainpower”said Jae H. Kang, an assistant professor of medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital at Harvard Medical School

“If we can push out the onset of dementia by 5, 10 or more years, that changes the dynamics of aging,” said Dr. Eric Larson, vice president of research at Group Health Research Institute in Seattle. “None of us wants to lose our minds,” he said.

More and more scientific research is linking activity and improved mental functioning.

“It is a wake-up call. We have to find ways to get everybody moving.”

And here’s even more evidence.

Light-duty weight training changes how well older women think and how blood flows within their brains. After 12 months of lifting weights twice a week,  M.R.I. scans showed that portions of the brain that control thinking were considerably more active.
Aging, Mobility and Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory at the University of British Columbia

Teresa Liu-Ambrose, assistant professor, says

“Weight training appears to be a viable option, and if people enjoy it, and stick with it, then more of us might be able, potentially, to ameliorate mental decline well into late life”.

What does this mean for Boomers?

• You KNOW what it means!
• Even the smallest increase in your daily exercise can add years to your brain resilience.
• Sign up for Brain Tune below and find our more ways to keep your brain youthful.

Source: New York Times, July 27, 2011

Are you losing your edge?
Or getting Alzheimer’s?

No!

It’s NOT a ‘senior moment’
It’s NOT the loss of brain cells
It’s NOT your brain shutting down

Your memory is still all there!
But you do need to learn the ways to find it.

The Memory Doctor, Dr. Allison Lamont, PhD, says,

“Yes, if you do nothing at all to help your brain, you will lose some of your brain power after 55. But the good news is, you can re-grow your brain capacity, just as you can improve your fitness”.

Research shows that the best results come from planned, systematic brain exercise. Even little changes in the way you challenge yourself each day can bring positive results. Science hasn’t yet found a cure for Alzheimer’s, but most over-55 brains will definitely benefit from increased brain activity, and, with the new brain connections created, will be able to push back brain decay.

Learn these NINE easy secrets for a youthful brain.

1. Can You Hear Me?

31 million Americans have hearing problems. Is one of them you? Did you know that, if you are struggling to hear, it is more than likely that you are not creating a strong memory connection for the information you were trying to hear?. You can’t process and understand what you didn’t hear properly – so you will forget.
Have your hearing tested every 3 years after age 50. Keep the volume down on your TV, Ipod or MP3. The last thing you want is more hearing loss. Protect your hearing and improve your memory.

2. Do I Look Fat In This?

The old adage, “fat and happy” just isn’t true any more. Obesity, or near obesity, is the enemy of a sharp and alert mind and obese people are usually very unhappy. While there is a lot of hype around about BMI (body mass index), there are indications that people with a healthy BMI (around 20) score much better on memory tests than those with BMI’s of 30 or more. I know there are exceptions to this general principle, but your all round health will benefit by thinking lean and trim when it comes to diet. Reducing your calorie intake by 250 a day – either by saying No to that muffin, or burning off 250 calories with a brisk walk, will work wonders for your alertness and sharper memory.Aim to keep your BMI below 25. Eating 4 or 5 small, balanced meals a day keeps your metabolism even and reduces the risks associated with high blood sugar levels.

Don’t know what your BMI is? Check here to work it out.

3. Hello Doctor!

Obesity, hypertension, or high blood cholesterol in middle-age (approximately 50 years old) significantly raise the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease, or a related dementia, in later life. (This comes from research by Miia Kivipelto and colleagues from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden). Each of these risk factors roughly doubled the risk so that those in their 50s with all 3 conditions ran a risk of developing dementia that was 6 times higher than for folks with none of them. Please get checked out regularly for blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

4. Pass the Salad, Please.

You’ve always known that vegetables are supposed to be good for you, right? Well, here’s the proof!

Jae Hee Kang reports that research, conducted over 10 years at Harvard Medical School , found that middle-aged women who consistently ate generous portions of leafy or cruciferous green vegetables were better able to preserve their cognitive abilities into advanced age than those who did not. Women who ate 8 or more servings (1 serving = 1/2 cup) of green, leafy vegetables (such as spinach or romaine lettuce) a week demonstrated the cognitive function of someone 1.7 years younger than those who ate 3 or fewer servings per week.

Green leafy vegetables seemed to preserve cognitive function best, perhaps because of their high vitamin B and antioxidant content, (e.g. vitamin C and folate) which may prevent the deleterious effects of ageing on the brain caused by free radicals So eat up that salad and eat more greens.

5. “Stop the noise! I can’t think!”

Have you ever felt like this? Well, actually, it’s probably true. If there are lots of distractions around you, then it is much more likely that you won’t remember, unless you have paid particular attention. When you want to remember, reduce the background noise.

6. Practice the Seven Second Rule!

It takes 7 seconds of concentration or processing to commit information to memory. You’ll find full details of this amazing fact in the Lamont and Eadie book: Seven Second Memory plus six other powerful memory techniques. Rewire your brain for a youthful mind. For now, though, think of paying attention as shining a flash-light on what you want to remember – and do this for seven seconds, focusing on the details and creating as many clues as you can for your memory.

7. Not just a Fishy Tale!

It’s now well-known that the Omega-3 fatty acids found in most types of fish (but particularly cold water fish) are brain-friendly. People who eat any type of fish at least once a week do appreciably better on mental tests than those who avoid seafood. Try to eat at least two fish dishes weekly; if fish is not for you then, at the very least, consider taking Omega-3 dietary supplements.

8. Move it, Baby, Move it!

You already know that exercise is good for you. Being fit gives you a great feeling of well-being. But did you know that exercise is great for your brain also?
Even a 20 minute walk a day will help activate circulation that is so vital for brain growth. 40 minutes to an hour is even better.

9. Your Brain, Your Friend, Your Future.

Do you believe you have a sharp brain? Maybe not, since you are reading this, but I want you to change that.
Dr. Lamont says that having a positive attitude and strong self-belief in the power of your brain are very important in achieving brain growth.
You can do it!

Take these nine actions today and you are on your way to a better performing brain. Not only that, you are building up a buffer against brain decay in later life.
People who are purposeful, conscientious, sociable and self-motivated show less cognitive decline and fewer Alzheimer’s disease symptoms.

Make a conscious effort to stay on task, take an interest in new activities and engage in life around you.

Why not get your memory check and the six-part memory challenge, Brain Tune?
It’s free, it’s based on science and your brain will love you for it. We’ll never reveal your details to anyone.

For more free help and personal advice on diet, exercise, brain food and improving your memory, please visit the Brain and Memory Foundation.

You KNOW you know ….
That word
That name
That number

You just can”t THINK of it.

So what’s happening??

Brain overload?
Too many things in your mind at once?
Too many drinks?
Didn’t take enough notice in the first place?
Exhausted?

These are all likely causes or short-term memory loss.

Given space to think and recall – or sleep – that lost thought will most often come back to you.

Lack of sleep could be the main culprit.

Sleep researchers say for every two hours we spend awake, the brain needs an hour of sleep to sort out the meaning of all that we’ve experienced. To read more about this study

Sleep not only helps store facts, it also helps make connections between them.

Sleep-deprivation experiments show that a tired brain has a difficult time capturing memories of all sorts, and an even tougher time making decisions.

Look after your brain to protect it against short-term memory loss.

It’s not fatal – but it can be darned embarrassing!

To find out about other ways you can sharpen your memory skills, sign up for Brain Tune. It’s a six-part memory training course that is easy, fun to do and hundreds of our readers tell us it has worked for them. It’s also free because we want everyone to have the opportunity to build a buffer of new brain connections. Research tells us that is the best, non-prescription protection against Alzheimer’s.

We will never reveal your details to anyone else.

Latest US Study Finds Brain Training Linked to Decreased Risk of Alzheimer’s.

Have you ever worried, like me, that someday you might suffer from Alzheimer’s? Recently, my sister Allison and I nursed our lovely mother, Jeanie, through the final stages of of this form of dementia. Sadly it’s an experience that more and more of our age group are going through. You probably know of someone yourself who has Alzheimer’s.It’s scary to watch because the person you knew so well gradually drifts away from you as memory loss takes over. No-one really knows what causes it. No-one has yet discovered a cure for it. And thousands more are being diagnosed with it every day.

That’s why this new research is such good news for healthy over-50′s.
It’s a huge, 800 page study prepared for an NIH State-of-the-Science Conference “Preventing Alzheimer’s Disease and Cognitive Decline,  and its findings are music to the ears of everyone over 50 who wants to keep a sharp, alert brain for the rest of their life.

And who doesn’t!

Scientists, as you know, are very cautious about making promises but this is what they said:

“Of all the factors reviewed, including diet and dietary supplements, physical exercise, social engagement, and other leisure activities, only cognitive training was found to have a high level of evidence for being associated with a decreased risk of cognitive decline.”

This is fantastic news for Baby Boomers!

What the scientists are saying is this:

Although eating brain food, physical fitness and social activity are all really important, ‘only cognitive training was said to have a “high degree of evidence” in this report’.

(‘Cognitive’ means brain and memory activities).

This new knowledge is of critical importance.

It means you don’t have to accept memory loss as a consequence of getting older.

You can do something about it!

At 50+, you are confidently expecting to live a full and positive life, with plenty of time to enjoy the leisure activities you’ve promised yourself and your family during your busy earning years.
You’re entitled to those years – but more and more of us are being robbed of them through memory loss and Alzheimer’s.

But you can do something about that. Take action today.

Sign up on this page for our FREE six-day Brain Tune course.

It will set you on the right path to build essential new brain connections. That’s the best, non-prescription protection against Alzheimer’s.

For further information, you can read lots of articles on this site, including  Nine Secrets of a Sharp Brain After 55 and Keep that Boomer Brain Growing

However, new research from the Wellcome Department of Cognitive Neurology has found that taxi drivers’ brains actually grow when they have to learn so much new information.

Their brains adapt to specialise in and store the vast quantities of navigational information needed to do their job, while leaving other parts of their brains free to regale with their insights.

Why is it excellent news? We can’t all be taxi-drivers but we all want a brain that remembers well. The really interesting thing about the brains of taxi drivers in the London study, was that the more they needed to learn about the streets and landmarks of London, the larger that area of their brain grew to accommodate all the new learning.

That’s the opposite of “the older you are the more brain cells you lose”, a long-standing over-simplification that is losing credibility as study after study demonstrate the opposite.

Researcher Eleanor Maguire of the Wellcome Department of Cognitive Neurology described the study:

“We got the taxi drivers to imagine they were driving from point to point [on London streets] while their brains were being observed using MRI scans. We also asked them to recall other types of memory that didn’t involve any navigation, like describing famous landmarks like the Statue of Liberty or the Sydney Opera House.”

What the study showed was that taxi drivers become adept at navigating in their imagination, and that this activates a different area of the brain, (the hippocampus), than they (and us) use for doing something seemingly related such as describing a landmark like the Statue of Liberty.  What’s even more stunning, is the hippocampus in these cabbies actually got heavier as they formed all the connections necessary to navigate detailed maps in their minds.

The Knowledge

When a new London cabbie joins the ranks (I couldn’t resist!) they have not yet developed what is known as “The Knowledge”, that mental map of landmarks and streets necessary to navigate the sprawling and, in places, ancient metropolis.  The most remarkable thing about the study is that you can practically measure the weight of The Knowledge in the human brain.  The study showed a before and after picture that clearly demonstrates an amazing degree of new brain growth in a remarkably short period of time.

The MRI scans showed most brain activity for taxi-drivers occurred when imagining using the information – when actively thinking, not just driving around.  You need to be engaged in recall to see the effect.

So, what does this study mean for you, my boomer friends?

It is a stunning example of the fact that your brain will grow if it is challenged to learn new information, particularly complex information. Setting out to learn the complete map of London might not be the challenge for you, but I’m sure there are others that your brain will thank you for. Maybe the map of New York? Just joking!

Three Lessons

1. Challenge yourself to learn something new.
2. The more complex the better.
3. Try to hold the new knowledge in your mind.  Apply it, use it, imagine yourself using it, explain it to someone else. Manipulating information in your mind like this helps you to re-grow new brain connections to retain the knowledge.

What can you do right now to start building a better brain?

It’s never too late to start re-growing YOUR brain connections.  The science is clear that it’s the best, non-prescription protection against memory loss.  Fill in the Memory Check box below and you’ll get two things:

1. A quick check of how sharp your memory is right now.
2. A brief 6-part course that will give you some easy-to-follow tools to help you build your brain and keep it fit.

Earthquake stress.

And all of these disasters have left heartbreak in their wake. Dr. Lamont (co-founder of the Brain and Memory Foundation) lives in Christchurch and fortunately sustained very little damage. She is a counsellor and conducts the Christchurch Memory Clinic. Many very distressed clients are coming to her at the moment because of earthquake stress. From her blog:

“People are describing themselves as ‘scattered’, with little focus or concentration. Technology experts are talking of looking away from their computer screens and then being unable to recall what they had been viewing seconds before. Inability to recall well-known information is causing added distress. Teachers report students are unable to stay ‘on task’. This has far-reaching ramifications as work productivity drops and students prepare for end-of-year examinations.”

So what can be done  to help these symptoms?

Stress affects your memory function.

Here are a few simple strategies to try if you are feeling under pressure.

When Stress Affects Your Memory.

• Take a deep breath and exhale slowly; do this three times and concentrate of physically relaxing
• Step away from whatever it is that you are doing. Stretch your arms forwards, to the sides; clasp your hands behind your back and pull your shoulders back. Breathe deeply.
• Get physical: walking, jogging, swimming or wii will all help your body ‘get back in tune’.
• Be determined NOT to multi-task – one thing at a time is all that you can expect when you are under stress.
• Treat yourself to a massage or maybe acupuncture?
• Be sure you do all you can to get a decent night’s sleep. That is SO important.
• Professional help ( e.g. psychotherapy, anger management) might be needed if the stress persists but there are many self-management things you can try first,

Reduce stress and your memory will thank you!

Is my memory normal?

Click ‘Memory Check’ to find out.

→     Memory Check

Remember: you can do this on-line, or print it off and complete it by hand.

To get your correct scores, place the numeral of your choice into the correct column (e.g. if you think 3 describes your memory, place a 3 in the third column).
On-line, your scores add up downwards automatically. On paper you will have to add them up yourself.
Then add the scores across the bottom of the page to get your grand total.

If you have any queries or comments, contact the author: To email us

If you’d like to improve your memory score, sign up for Brain Tune below. It’s free! And we will never share your details with anyone.

Kindest regards

Gillian Eadie
MEd, BA, LTCL, Churchill Fellow
CEO Brain and Memory Foundation.

To purchase your own copy of the life-changing book, Seven Second Memory: Memory techniques that will change your life, visit http://sevensecondmemory.com; also available for reading on Kindle,  iPad, iPhone or other smartphones.

So there I was, sitting in the courtyard of a lovely little restaurant, enjoying the late summer sun, and the last mouthful of heavenly Chardonnay, when I heard my husband calling my name from the counter, where he was paying the bill.

Something in his voice didn’t sound quite right so I went up to join him, and in a hushed but panicky voice he said,

“Darling, I can’t remember the pin number for my card”.

He was clearly horrified, and concerned, I quickly whipped out my card, making some joke to the maitre de that my husband would go to any lengths to get me to pay.

The whole way home he was totally flummoxed, as five minutes into the drive, he remembered the darned number.  “Must be my Alzheimer’s”, he said, attempting to laugh it off.  “But I was so embarrassed, no, mortified, I truly could not remember that number, and I’ve been using the same one for years”, he continued, at least 3 times before we got home.

Has this ever happened to you Where you’ve thought, “Oh, not another senior moment”, or convinced yourself you were losing your edge because you forgot about a meeting or worse still forgot someone’s name – someone you’ve known for years?

The storing of human memories is a highly dynamic system which is interwoven with your emotions, how you view things and your actions.  Your ability to create store and recall new memories when you need them allows you to learn and interact with other people.

Remember the days when you knew everyone’s name instantly? And recognized faces without a problem? In those days, you never seemed to have to struggle for clues – you just knew. You were probably about 14!

Actually, until (like my husband) you find your heart pounding because you can’t remember your pin number in a restaurant, or searching frantically for a name you really know quite well, you’ve taken the skill of recognition for granted. But it is actually a very complex process and it isn’t until your memory has let you down, that you begin to realize this.

To remember a number or recognize someone, you have to bring together, quite unconsciously, an amazing range of stored memories. These include, for example, the numbers you have rehearsed into your memory, along with the cues you have attached to them. Or facts about someone  (same school/married Sally/three daughters/drives a Lexus), the relationship the person has with you (I know him/played football on the same team) and episodic memories (we visited a bar last time we were in town) and then, finally comes the person’s name. At the same time you may have an emotional response to the person (I don’t get on with him, really).

Forget Me Not

If there is a malfunction in the remembering process, it could be because you are distracted by other thoughts, stress or maybe it really was just one too many glasses of wine with that lunch! Or it could be, if the person is only slightly known to you, that you did not encode the information well enough into your memory.

It takes seven seconds of concentration to create a memory trace in the long term memory.

Once new information comes into the short term memory, it goes straight to the brain’s processing plant (hippocampus) and moves along to the long-term storage department.  Paying attention is like shining a light on what needs to be remembered – focusing on the information creates the all-important pathway to memory.

Try these tips for remembering your pin number:

• Pay attention to the number and recite out loud  it as you ‘see’ it in your mind’s eye.
• Focus on the numbers and think of a zany association e.g. 7393 – I’ll be 73 in 11 years time and I hope to be 93 before I forget that number again! Or, it’s 73 steps to the mail box and 93 to the store.
• Try to take time a few minutes after memorizing the number and visualize it on your card.recall it again in an hour, a day and a week.

You’ll find lots more tips like these in the great new book by Allison Lamont PhD and Gillian Eadie, Seven Second Memory. And if you are ready to start our free six-day Brain Tune course, sign up now.

For further information, read Nine Secrets of a Sharp Brain After 55 and Keep that Boomer Brain Growing