HOW TO REMEMBER MORE LONGER

March . . . . St Patrick's Day, Easter, Spring begins, the start of Daylight Savings Time, and my birthday!!! A great month filled with new beginnings! Hope your March is filled with great new beginnings, too!

Speaking of new beginnings . . . Last month I announced the publication of my "How To Be Your Own Generational Coach" WORKBOOK. The response has been amazing and since then the first printing has already sold out! See below for more information. To purchase your own copy, please click here.

I was also amazed by the overwhelming response to last month's article. Seems it struck a chord with a lot of people. Many of the comments were like this one . . . "Your article in this month's issue is pure inspiration! I'm going to copy it and paste it to my frig (and I never put things on my frig!)" Thanks so much to everyone who wrote me. Feedback is always appreciated!

I also want to welcome all the new subscribers to the AgeWiseLiving family. I now have over 5,000 subscribers! (5,002 to be exact!). I know you new subscribers will love all the information and resources that come to your email box every month as much as our long-time friends. Many of these new subscribers come through the "forward to a friend" button so thank you for spreading the word.

With Spring beginning on March 20th, this month's article will help sweep out the winter cobwebs. Enjoy!

"THE ULTIMATE CAREGIVER'S SURVIVAL GUIDE"

WORKBOOK

Are you dealing with eldercare issues and
want to resolve them by choice, not crisis?

Most people wait to help their aging loved one because they don't know how or where to start and/or

what to do each step of the way.

That's why I put together the
"The Ultimate Caregiver's Survival Guide"

Workbook.

WITH OVER 150 PAGES, "The Ultimate Caregiver's Survival Guide" Workbook is a complete, step-by-step, do-it-yourself Generational Coaching toolkit, a compilation of the materials I use with my Generational Coaching clients to help them resolve their eldercare issues by choice, not crisis.

This "The Ultimate Caregiver's Survival Guide" Workbook includes all the necessary elements -- worksheets, checklists, examples, instructions, and tips so you can successfully address the whole spectrum of eldercare issues -- including sibling issues -- in a step-by-step process!

I'm delighted to report that I was quoted extensively in the article, Early Preparation is Key for the Sandwich Generation, by Donna Fuscaldo for FOXBusiness.com. To read the article, click here

As a Generational Coach and because of the my mother's dementia, I'm often asked by people who are concerned about their "intellectual pauses" if there's anything they can do to remember more, longer, and make their memories easier to access.

Please know that I'm not a "brain specialist". Nothing written here should imply a diagnosis or a way to prevent Alzheimer's or any of the more than two dozen or so other types of dementia. However, based on information I've learned through research and personal observation and experience, I say YES!

The brain is an incredibly complex organ composed of billions & billions of microscopic neurons, or brain cells. All the physical and mental tasks we perform (walking, singing, tying your shoes, and thousands of other tasks) are carried out when these cells communicate with each other. This communication is accomplished by a chemical manufactured inside the cell that jumps the tiny gap between the cells, called the synapse. The chemical connection (think of a microscopic hair) creates a memory.

Memories are made through our five senses. Every time we hear, see, taste, smell, and touch, we're making a "memory connection". In addition, the brain actually creates a new memory connection for every sensory experience. If you say 1 word 10 times -- you've actually made 10 connections for that word. You probably have millions of connections for your name.

Our earliest memories are created through the sense of touch, which has 2 parts. The first is tactile; the way something feels (a caress, the texture of a blanket -- or a hot stove). The second is kinesthetic, sometimes called "muscle memory". We make kinesthetic memories the same way you get to Carnegie Hall . . . practice, practice, practice! It's how pianists play without looking at the keys, how dancers remember routines, and how we remember how to tie our shoes.

Sight is our strongest sense for short-term memory. In fact, 73% of our short term memory is through what we see.

Hearing, on the other hand, is the least reliable of the senses. We may have great memories for music or the sound of someone's voice but most of what we hear are abstract "facts" such as names and numbers which lack an emotional context.

If you've ever tasted something and asked yourself what's missing, it's because of a taste memory.

While sight is the strongest sense for short-term memory, the sense of smell is the strongest and most vivid for long-term memories. If you've ever smelled something and had memories you hadn't thought of in years come flooding back -- thank your sense of smell.

And, each of the senses makes its own connection even for the same experience! When you see a rose and stop to smell it, you've doubled your memory of it!

Researchers also believe that our brain processes and stores memories of emotion differently from the way it stores memories of fact and that we remember emotional memories far longer than fact memories. The memories of Thanksgiving dinners, lullabies your mother sang to you, your wedding, your child's first words, your old boyfriend's aftershave, your first kiss, are all made stronger because of the combination of the senses plus the emotional connection.

We make memories through our senses and it's through those same senses that we recall or "trigger" these memories.

Dementia -- regardless of the cause -- blocks the connection, preventing one cell from communicating with another, the way an accident blocks traffic on a highway. The more connections you've made for an experience, the more alternate routes you'll have to recall or trigger that memory.

My mother has very advanced dementia but she can still remember dozens of old songs when the music triggers her memory. My great grandmother died when I was five years old but to this day, whenever I smell lilacs, I have vivid memories of her and the lilac sachets in her lingerie drawer. If I can't remember a phone number, I place my fingers on a phone key pad and let my fingers "remember" for me. The smell of the sea air, the sound of the wind, the taste of your mother's meatloaf, the sight of a sunrise, the feel of a baby's skin are all triggers we created through our emotional and sensory experiences.

In addition, every time we think, write, and/or talk about an experience, we make even more memories -- and more triggers by which to recall them.

When doing routine tasks, challenge yourself to be aware of all of your senses like the taste, feel, smell, and sound of brushing your teeth.

Consciously add additional senses to your experiences. For example, revel in the taste, smell, look, and feel of eating something delicious and when you turn on some music, get up and boogie!

Make a point to explore new things and/or do things you haven't done in years. Go for a walk and notice the feel of the ground under you feet, the warmth of the sun, the cold winter air, the color of the sky, and the sound of the birds, or pull out that musical instrument you haven't touched in years and give it a go!

And include your family and friends. Not only will it create fullermemories for you, it will give them wonderful memories, too.

HELPING YOUR AGING LOVED ONE GET WHAT THEY WANT -- AND THAT'S IN THEIR BEST INTEREST

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12TH, 2008
7:00 to 8:00p EASTERN TIME
To join this FREE teleseminar, at 7p just call:
(712) 580-7706 ~ Conference Code: 2484952#

For information about how to attend an AgeWiseLiving seminar and upcoming dates and locations, please go to Seminars.