Mind & Mood Archive

Everyone has the occasional "senior moment." Maybe you've gone into the kitchen and can't remember why, or can't recall a familiar name during a conversation. Memory lapses can occur at any age, but aging alone is generally not a cause of cognitive decline. When significant memory loss occurs among older people, it is generally not due to aging but to organic disorders, brain injury, or neurological illness.

Studies have shown that you can help prevent cognitive decline and reduce the risk of dementia with some basic good health habits:

If you or someone else suspects early signs of memory loss, here's how you can find out if there's a problem.

There's no cure for dementia, and you cannot substantially reverse its effects, but there are ways to possibly slow its progression. But first, you need to know if you — or a loved one — may have a memory disorder. "Unfortunately, there is not one single test that confirms dementia while you are alive," says Dr. Julie Brody Magid, clinical director of the Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital Memory Disorders Assessment Clinic. "The testing process is multilayered and takes many things into consideration. Going through this evaluation may help identify memory problems before they get worse."

Know the symptoms

Symptoms of dementia include memory loss, problem-solving difficulties, and language issues. Behavior and emotions also can be affected. Symptoms are often subtle early on, and then get progressively worse. They can increasingly interfere with daily life tasks, like remembering to attend appointments, take medication, or pay bills. People also may have trouble preparing meals or driving safely.

There are several ways to manage anxiety on your own, but it's important to recognize when to get professional help.

Nowadays, simply tuning in to the daily news is likely to be stressful. Add on the stresses of daily life — such as handling work demands or adjusting to retirement, dealing with family issues, coping with illness, or caregiving — and you may begin to greet each day with apprehension and worry. In other words, you can become anxious.

"Some degree of anxiety is normal and even necessary," says Dr. Ann Epstein, a psychiatrist at Harvard-affiliated Cambridge Health Alliance and medical editor of the Harvard Special Health Report Coping with Anxiety and Stress. "Anxiety signals us that something is awry or might need our attention. However, you don't want the response to become exaggerated or to dominate your life," she says. Good coping mechanisms for stress and anxiety can help you stay healthy during turbulent times.

Memory slips are aggravating, frustrating, and sometimes worrisome. When they happen more than they should, they can trigger fears of looming dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. But there are some treatable causes of forgetfulness.

Health anxiety can interfere with your life, but it's highly treatable.

 Image: © XiXinXing/Getty Images

You spend hours on the Internet researching health information. When you get a scratchy throat you automatically think cancer — not a cold. And even when medical tests come back showing that you're healthy, it doesn't make you feel better. In the back of your mind you still feel like something is wrong.

If this sounds like you or a loved one, it may be health anxiety.

Because the very nature of recovery support involves face-to-face interaction, whether in support group meetings or dispensing medication, it is at odds with the need for social distancing during the COVID-19 crisis, creating barriers to receiving support and maintaining recovery.

In the journals

Older adults with a healthy weight but a large waistline could have a higher risk of developing dementia, according to a recent study.

Weight gain and obesity are known risk factors for dementia, and body mass index (BMI) is often used to estimate excess body fat. (BMI is a measure that takes into account both weight and height.)

In the journals

Do you feel you have a purpose in your life — or perhaps think you will never find one? The answer could influence your overall well-being, says a recent study in the January/February 2020 issue of The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Researchers asked 1,042 adults, average age 65, to fill out questionnaires about meaning in their lives, and compared their responses with data on their physical and mental well-being. Respondents who believed they had meaning in their life had better physical and mental health scores and higher cognitive function compared with those who didn't.

The challenge of being isolated from loved ones and friends can be eased by using any of several different apps that enable various types of communication, including video calls and messages.