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I've seen a number of research studies like the one I linked to below. My friend who introduced me to Zumba loves to trot these studies out as an incentive to get her sedentary friends to join us.
"The answer to keeping the brain sharp, neurologists agree, is not sudoku or crossword puzzles -- despite the conventional wisdom.
Staying physically fit is the most important element to keeping the brain young later in life, they say. Remaining socially engaged and mentally active in new and challenging ways are the two other components to long-term brain health.
Fotuhi says ballroom dancing is perfect because it combines physical activity, social interaction and the mental challenge of remembering the steps."
I believe that physical fitness keeps the brain sharp, too. But the older you get
the harder it is to keep up the regimen. ie weights cause shoulder pain; walking plantar whatevers;
Can't do zumba for other reasons. So the options become fewer. Social interaction people die and
move away. Just facts of getting older and wearing out I am thinking of a supplement.
I think there is another problem. How do you know when you can not handle your money. What do you do?
My mother's mother was finding holes in my grandfathers pants pockets. Same pocket in every pair. When she asked about it he told her he couldn't remember how to count change so whenever he bought something he gave bills and took change, and all the coins were wearing out his pockets.
I believe that physical fitness keeps the brain sharp, too. But the older you get
the harder it is to keep up the regimen. ie weights cause shoulder pain; walking plantar whatevers;
Can't do zumba for other reasons. So the options become fewer. Social interaction people die and
move away. Just facts of getting older and wearing out I am thinking of a supplement.
I don't think there's a supplement that was ever concocted that could replace the benefits of exercise. What about swimming?
If the dogs expect a treat (and they do) they will not let me move towards the door without barking and/or running in front of me. The lack of commotion triggers my memory that something could be wrong. I used to put a fairly large sign on the inside of my door reminding me to check the dogs, but I eventually no longer 'saw" it. So far, the treat has worked.
Have you ever made use of a timer to help you to remember things? (Of course, you have to remember to set the timer first!)
Although I've never been formally diagnosed, I swear I have some ADD tendencies, and I've figured out some coping mechanisms that have been most helpful over the years. Say I'm going out somewhere, and there is something I need to remember to do right before I leave the house. I'll set the timer for a few minutes before my departure time, and that insures that I don't forgot to do that last little task. Would this work for you?
Like old dogs the thirst center starts to slowly stop sending signals to drink...we whither like an unwatered plant. It might be nature getting rid of us because we no longer breed. My daughter would look me in the face and say--- "Dad you are dehydrated- drink some water" It shows in the face and the eyes. I can't stand city water even though Toronto water is excellent in comparison to water that I have had in American cities that tastes like it was drawn from a warm swamp...It' just that I grew up drinking the best natural spring water in the world and am spoiled...I have to force myself to swallow modern processed water....I HATE THE STUFF.
Try drinks with electrolytes or bottled water, just keep drinking
Have you ever made use of a timer to help you to remember things? (Of course, you have to remember to set the timer first!)
Although I've never been formally diagnosed, I swear I have some ADD tendencies, and I've figured out some coping mechanisms that have been most helpful over the years. Say I'm going out somewhere, and there is something I need to remember to do right before I leave the house. I'll set the timer for a few minutes before my departure time, and that insures that I don't forgot to do that last little task. Would this work for you?
I do set an alarm for reminders that are not part of my usual routine. But, I have to admit, some of the ADD strategies I developed during my lifetime simply do not work for my recently acquired memory deficits.
I have briefly considered hiring a personal "virtual assistant". He or she wouldn't be able to assist with helping me to continue in my career, but dang, it would be helpful to have someone remind me of appointments, activities of daily living, (take out the trash on Monday nights, recycling Thursday night, pick up clothes at the dry cleaners, shop or order delivery of groceries, eat, take meds, banking activities, etc.) I still may investigate this a bit later.
I do set an alarm for reminders that are not part of my usual routine. But, I have to admit, some of the ADD strategies I developed during my lifetime simply do not work for my recently acquired memory deficits.
I have briefly considered hiring a personal "virtual assistant". He or she wouldn't be able to assist with helping me to continue in my career, but dang, it would be helpful to have someone remind me of appointments, activities of daily living, (take out the trash on Monday nights, recycling Thursday night, pick up clothes at the dry cleaners, shop or order delivery of groceries, eat, take meds, banking activities, etc.) I still may investigate this a bit later.
A lot of this can be handled by a smart phone with an alarm app. Most should come with one. I use mine all the time for things. Don't laugh but it reminds me about Jeopardy and the 5:30 news.
For appointments I use an app called Business Calendar. There is a free version and a Pro version ($4.99 at Google Play), but I got lucky when the pro version was the free Amazon app of the day and downloaded it. It synchs with Google Calendar (with a little tweaking) and because of that we can quickly check each others schedules. You can add appointments (or reminders) on Google or the the phone and it ends up on both after a synch.
I also use ColorNote for notes and to buy lists. It's easy to use and both it and Business Calendar can be added as a widget to the screen of tour phone. It has an alarm, calendar, sticky notes (widget), etc.
All of this helps me remember what I need to do and where I need to go. In addition I have a Word document that opens every time my computer starts that also reminds of things and holds information I find useful. A lot of that comes from City Data!
A lot of this can be handled by a smart phone with an alarm app. Most should come with one. I use mine all the time for things. Don't laugh but it reminds me about Jeopardy and the 5:30 news.
For appointments I use an app called Business Calendar. There is a free version and a Pro version ($4.99 at Google Play), but I got lucky when the pro version was the free Amazon app of the day and downloaded it. It synchs with Google Calendar (with a little tweaking) and because of that we can quickly check each others schedules. You can add appointments (or reminders) on Google or the the phone and it ends up on both after a synch.
I also use ColorNote for notes and to buy lists. It's easy to use and both it and Business Calendar can be added as a widget to the screen of tour phone. It has an alarm, calendar, sticky notes (widget), etc.
All of this helps me remember what I need to do and where I need to go. In addition I have a Word document that opens every time my computer starts that also reminds of things and holds information I find useful. A lot of that comes from City Data!
I tried Google calendar a year or two ago, didn't work for me. I do use my smartphone for alerts, in fact, this morning I added an alert for the PBS/Retirement episode mentioned by LauraC in another thread.
However, I would like to know how you get a Word document to automatically open when your computer starts up. That might prove very useful.
I had a very scary incident a week ago. I went out and left a pan boiling on the
stove. Stupid!!! Called my neighbor who luckily had a key (I was 20 miles away
when I remembered) and he shut it off.
So now when I use the stove I put a vase where it should never be -
in plain view and it triggers "check the stove"
I tried Google calendar a year or two ago, didn't work for me. I do use my smartphone for alerts, in fact, this morning I added an alert for the PBS/Retirement episode mentioned by LauraC in another thread.
However, I would like to know how you get a Word document to automatically open when your computer starts up. That might prove very useful.
Click Start and when the menu rolls up hover the mouse over All Programs. Scroll down and you will see a folder named Startup. This is where the Word doc will end up.
Create the Word doc (I call mine ToDo) and save it to the desktop. Close Word and right-click the file on the desktop. Click on Copy.
Go to the Startup folder like in the first paragraph. Highlight it and right-click it. Click Paste.
The next time Windows starts the file will open and display on the desktop. I minimize it so it's not in my face but is easily accessible for additions.
Once it is working correctly (Shut down and restart the computer) delete it from the desktop.
Feel free to ask questions if you need to.
The beauty of using Business Calendar is that it synchronizes with Google Calendar so you have all your appointments, etc on the phone without having to access the Internet.
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I am thinking of a supplement.
I used to put a fairly large sign on the inside of my door reminding me to check the dogs, but I eventually no longer 'saw" it. So far, the treat has worked. 
