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NOW, WHERE WAS I …?

01/09/2022 08:03:00 Chris Morgan

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It is entirely appropriate for this week’s article to be on the subject of memory.

Not because the writer is in the age group most sensitive about the arrival or prospect of a deteriorating memory, but for the very good reason that incidents of memory failure occur throughout one’s life, and can be for reasons other than age. Though it’s only in the later years that the individual worries about it. Samuel Johnson, the famous English writer and moralist of the 18th Century, stated that memory loss is generally not a physical shortcoming but simply a failure to pay attention. To me, that was quite fascinating because he must have heard me saying that memory loss occurs when, at the time of the incident or conversation, you were simply thinking of something else (lol).

Considered

An interesting (I hope) diversion is that ‘lol’ is invariably considered to be ‘loj’ – laughing at your own jokes. But, in fact, it can be important to point out that you’ve just cracked a joke, in case the reader takes you seriously. I had to mention ‘lol’ above to prevent the reader thinking the writer had gone demented, which, in the purely strict sense of the word, means arriving at dementia. At any age we have incidents of memory loss, perhaps the most common being entering a room for a purpose, and not being able to recall why you were there. The solution being to return to where you started, hopefully prompting a reminder of the original thought.

The only time to perhaps get a little concerned is when you make the return journey and wonder why you’ve done so. I enjoy saying that I can remember what I had for breakfast on November 3 962 but can never recall where I’ve left my car keys. Joking of course, the point being that the fictitious omelette on the table was left for the ants to devour because the garden shed had caught fire, requiring the dedicated attention of the family. This is an unusual event making a special impact on the memory. When putting down the car keys and performing other simple tasks, you’re invariably thinking of something else at the same time. And if you’re never thinking of anything else while doing that, perhaps it’s time to ‘recharge the batteries’.

Attention

So basically you should only worry, or get medical attention for someone near and dear, when loss of memory gets out of the ordinary, such as Mkhulu Joe starting to walk down the road, dog lead in hand, but no dog on the end of it. I had an unmarried great-aunt (incidentally she was great as an aunt), who in her career had been a professor at the Sorbonne, arguably the top university in France. One day we paid her a visit and found four or five partly-eaten sandwiches, still relatively fresh, each at a different place in her apartment in Aberystwyth, Wales. Fortunately for her, she died a few months later of an unrelated complaint. Both examples would suggest the onset of dementia.

It is from the age of around 30 years that one’s memory commences its decline, as the neurons of the brain – the ‘moving parts’ of that incredible machine – start to slowly disappear. The idea is not to worry about it but, as many neurologists in the world believe, do something about it. So what is to be done? Let’s start with three hours a week of brisk walking or half that time in more vigorous activity; spread out across the week. Rather pleasant too if you join a group of similar-minded friends. Add to that the mentally demanding activities such as crossword and other puzzles, learning a new language or musical instrument, or writing stories; or even articles for the national print media!

Activities

Or it could be a weekly blog. This beats an excess of television viewing, depending of course on the programmes selected. Sleeping well, socialising regularly, planning activities and avoiding distractions allow an active, structured life. If you’re fortunate enough to eat well, you avoid obesity with fruits, vegetables and whole grains, plus light proteins such as fish and skinless poultry – the latter not to include the pursuit of any chickens running around without a skin. I have to add some further ‘balloon popping’ – we should minimise the intake of alcohol and avoid all drugs. Another, and very pleasant, activity is reading fiction. Keeping track of the plots and different characters, without turning back the pages, is a healthy brain activity. One leading neurologist in the USA has identified two different memory skills. For the short-term memory – remembering a phone number before calling it – there are no special needs. But the working memory is what we use to work with the information we have – understanding detailed reports or operating the computer – and this demands development of the above special memory retention skills. Now, er … where was I?