The Brain Matures

Our memory is such an important part of our life. It stores our knowledge and creates our wisdom. It recalls all our joy and sadness. It reminds us how to solve problems and, hopefully, not to make the same mistake twice. It directs our safe driving and helps us recreate our favorite recipes.
Throughout most of our lives, we take memory for granted. Oh sure, When we forget a name we think about our recall ability. Maybe we even have a temporary loss of confidence. But for the most part, we go through life oblivious to how well our brain is functioning and confident it is doing its many jobs.
However, as we age we may notice some distinct changes in our ability to remember. Actually, the brain retains much of its memory capacity, but it makes adjustments -for losses in concentration, quickness of response and endurance that come with age. These adjustments lead the senior brain to organize information differently than it did when it was younger.

From Smart to Wise
The adjustments that seniors make allows them to specialize in deeper thinking. Add that to some loss in processing time and the elders are considered to possess wisdom. They are seen as taking the time to think things through. More importantly, they are utilizing their past experiences to provide more sophisticated and comprehensive responses.

Feeling The Pressure
However, it can be difficult for seniors to be confident in their memory, even when it is working well. Of course, any change with age can cause doubt. Often, that doubt is compounded by the prevalence and publicity of the various diseases that affect the memory, especially Alzheimer’s Disease. This can cause anxiety, which can lead to a poorer performance of one’s memory… and even more doubt.

Next week we will be posting tips and tricks to keep your memory healthy!