Memory Activities and Tips for Baby Boomers Grandparents and Grandchildren For Twitter Tuesday

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How's your memory? Is it as sharp as it used to be? Are you worried about it? As a member of the oh-no-I'm-NOT-aging (even though we are 😉 ) Baby Boomers Generation, who writes about the Sandwich Generation issues of elderly parents and young grandchildren, I am constantly reading about warning signs for memory loss in the elderly coupled with being surrounded by young grandkids who are sharp as a tack and have the great memory to prove it. All of this means that I frequently join my peers in wrestling with the question, "Am I suffering from memory loss because I am getting more elderly than I thought or is it just because of information overload or ?????" On any given day, that question can be directed at an elderly relative worried about their memory or at myself when I forget something at the store! As I wrote last week, it's always a relief when one of my younger adult friends will confess to forgetting things just as often. 🙂

For those of us Baby Boomers who want to do more than just think about it, @Carebuzz posted a great link on Twitter from Harvard Medical School. Cultivating Your Inner Boss is an interesting article about age-related memory loss as well as our "executive functions."  I was thrilled with their statement in the first paragraph, "More often than not, forgotten names and other lapses can be ascribed to normal age-related memory loss (subtext: "don't worry, it's not Alzheimer's disease.") " Whew! Talk about wonderful words of encouragement! 🙂

They then go on to explain what executive function is, as compared to simple memory, how to protect it, and some memory activities to improve it. That's the part I really enjoyed, though the whole article was quite informative. I was thrilled to discover that I was already pretty much doing all the things on their list, including "make it a habit." For example, I have a friend who sometimes wants to help me by carrying some of my things when I have full hands, including my purse. I always stop her and say, "Not my purse, thank you. I need to make sure I always make it a habit to have that weight with me so I don't forget it!" Turns out, Harvard also thinks that kind of thing is a good idea. The funny part is that I developed that habit after forgetting my purse a few times when I was MUCH younger. It's nice to realize that as we in the Baby Boomers Generation are aging, and some of our mental functions may be losing a tad bit of sharpness, the common sense and lessons we've learned through the years are working in our favor to even things out or even make us a bit smarter! Now isn't that good news! 🙂

To their memory activities I would add one specifically for grandparents and their grandchildren – have fun playing memory-required games like Concentration together. The grandkids will have fun and we don't have to admit how hard we are working as we exercise our brain a bit! 🙂 

One other idea I stumbled upon as I was looking up the game Concentration. There is a delightful-sounding cd, Music for Concentration, that is specifically engineered to help stimulate brain activity. Sounds like brain training exercises while you listen. 🙂 To quote from the CD case,

"The Sound Health Series is based upon clinical investigations into psychoacoustics- the study of the effect of music and sound on the human nervous system. Sound Health recordings are designed to improved ear and brain function while providing a delightful listening experience…Scientific research demonstrates what many people already know: certain music helps to accelerate learning, focus attention, and enhance health. Accessing three decades of clinical experience, ABT has identified components of music and sound that produce physical and mental states conducive to specific activities. The music of the Sound Health Series has been re-arranged according to proven techniques. Although the melodies may seem familiar, all the music has been meticulously re-structured in vibrant new recordings to maximize effectiveness for your well-being. ABT's skillful blending of art and science results in beautiful soundtracks that enhance health, learning, and productivity."

I must say, it sounds really intriguing and helpful for all of us in the Baby Boomers Generation, not to mention our grandchildren as they study for their school tests! 🙂

Do pop over to read the whole article and see if you are already doing the memory activities they suggest. If you are, you can enjoy a big smile with me. If you aren't, the advice you will find is excellent. This is definitely a great resource for all of us dealing with the Sandwich Generation issues of caring for our elderly parents, helping with our grandchildren, and juggling a zillion things in our memory and our life all at once! 🙂 And for more tips, tweets, and news updates on the Baby Boomers Generation and the Sandwich Generation…