Aging has traditionally been viewed as a forerunner to decreasing mental awareness. This perspective is being challenged by research conducted by several groups including the National Institute of Mental Health in Philadelphia. Current research shows that mental decline is not inevitable.

Like physical exercise invigorates the body, mental exercise can increase mental awareness. Mental exercise has the goal of warding off mental decline before it can begin. In her book, Brain Fitness, Monique Le Poncin, the founder of the French National Institute for Research on the Prevention of Cerebral Aging, proposed the following daily activities to sharpen all five senses.

Sight. Each day, observe an object, a photograph, for example, or a person on the street. Draw your perception immediately to exercise short-term memory. At the end of the week, redraw the seven objects or people to exercise long-term memory.

Smell and Taste. When dining, try to identify the ingredients in the dishes you are served. Concentrate on the subtle flavorings of herbs and spices. Ask the waiter or your host to verify your perceptions.

Memory. Try to memorize the dishes offered on your favorite restaurant’s menu. Make the exercise more challenging by trying to memorize the prices too. At the end of the day, recall as many dishes and prices as you can.

Hearing. On the telephone, practice recognizing callers before they identify themselves. Memorize phone numbers. At the end of the day, write down the people you spoke with and their phone numbers. At the end of the week, try to remember as many as you can.

Smell and Touch. Exercise your smell and touch by trying to identify objects with your eyes closed. Exercise your visual-spatial ability to make quick and accurate estimates of distance, areas, and volumes– the general proportions of things and their distribution in space. When you walk into a room of a group of people, try to quickly determine how many are on your right and your left, as well as the left-right distribution of furniture and other objects. Try to estimate their length and thickness. Try to draw a plan or map of the places you have visited. Repeat the next day and the next day after.

Some additional tasks that could help sharpen your memory include:

Take a sentence from the newspaper or magazine and use the same words to form another sentence.

Get a jigsaw puzzle and attempt to put the pieces together as quickly as possible. Time yourself putting the puzzle together. One week later, try the exercise again and check against your first time to see how much you improved.

Instead of using a shopping list, create a system to take the list’s place. Use memory aids such as forming a complete word or one that can be completed by adding a certain vowel or consonant from the first letters of the words for the things you need to buy.

Card games such as bridge and pinochle along with board games such as chess and checkers involve logical mental thought processes. Frequently play new games with new partners to keep from becoming routine.

Exercise your verbal abilities by watching the morning and evening news or reading a new book and then summarizing it in writing or to someone else.

LePoncin points out that a mentally fit lifestyle means overcoming monotony and routine. Monotony generates mental and emotional lethargy and resignation. Organize your daily life so that you are more involved and open to others through dialogue, interaction, and confrontation. Failing memory and sluggish thinking are not inevitable signs of aging.

You have the ability to increase your cognitive thinking while maintaining an adequate level of functioning during your older years if you continue to exercise your mental functions several times daily.

If you or someone you love is having a difficult time dealing with the changes in their life, help is available. Please contact the SeniorView Resource Center at 1 (800) 662-2490, where a behavioral health care professional will help you find the community resources that can aid in dealing with the changes of life.

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Recognizing Senior Abuse
How to Recognize & Report Senior Adult Abuse

In 1987, the Amendments to the Older Americans Act provided the first Federal definitions of elder abuse, neglect and exploitation. Generally, there are five types of recognized forms of senior abuse as defined by the Elder Abuse Prevention network.

Physical Abuse. Any willfully inflicted physical injury upon a senior adult by the care giver or a person in trust of the senior adult is considered physical abuse. This includes any form of physical violence, which includes beating, sexual assault, unreasonable physical restraint, or deprivation of food or water.

Possible indicators of physical abuse could be, but are not limited to:

Cuts, lacerations, puncture wounds

Bruises, welts, discoloration

Any injury that: is not compatible with the senior’s past history or that has not been properly cared for

Signs of dehydration or poor skin condition and poor hygiene

Excessive weight loss

Financial Abuse. Theft or misuse of money that is specifically designated to the senior adult by the care giver or a person in trust of the senior adult is considered financial abuse.

Possible indicators of financial abuse could be, but are not limited to:

Unusual or inappropriate bank activity

Financial decisions made when the individual is incapable of making such decisions because of incapacitation

Numerous late bills when an individual has the responsibility to pay for all bills.

Placement in a facility that is not commensurate with the size of the senior adult’s estate

Lack of common amenities

Neglect. Failing to assist in personal hygiene, the provision of clothing, medical treatment—including mental health, and protecting the senior adult from safety or health hazards. This also includes self-neglect, or the lack of providing for one’s self.

Possible indicators of neglect and self-neglect could be, but are not limited to:

Unclean or inability to maintain proper hygiene

Inadequately clothed or malnourished or dehydrated

Inability to manage daily activities such as financial, medical or social interactions

Psychological/Emotional Abuse. Willfully inflicting mental suffering by the care giver or a person in trust of the senior adult is considered psychological or emotional abuse. This is best shown by examples of threats, humiliation, intimidation or isolation from others.

Possible indicators of psychological or emotional abuse could be, but are not limited to:

Helplessness, depression or withdrawal

Hesitation to speak freely

Confusion or disorientation

Agitation and anger

Fear

Abandonment. This is the willful desertion or forsaking of a senior adult by the care giver or a person in trust of the senior adult. It is the process of simply refusing to care for the senior adult.

Possible indicators of abandonment could be, but are not limited to:

No social interaction with the care giver or person in whom the senior adult has placed trust

Lack of concern by the care giver or person in whom the senior adult has placed trust

Desertion at a shopping center, public location, hospital, nursing home or similar location by the care giver or person in whom the senior adult has placed trust.

If you or someone you know is the victim of senior abuse, it is vital to get help. Please contact the SeniorView Resource Center at 1 (800) 662-2490, for community agencies and treatment alternatives.

The SeniorView Resource Center is an additional service offered by Mountain View Hospital. It’s primary goal is to find community resources for members of the Senior Community of Alabama. It is a free service. 1 (800) 662-2490.  Please call today and let us find the resources you or your loved one needs.

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