What memory signs should we be alerted to?
- When they clearly affect work or social activity.
- When they are frequent forgetfulness of which the person who has them is not aware but their relatives or friends are.
- When they are important forgetfulness in their family relationship (name or address of direct relatives with whom they have a regular relationship) or episodes of frequent temporal and/or spatial disorientation.
- When the person behaves strangely with friends or relatives.
- When the person stops performing tasks that have always been done routinely.
- When there is a tendency to ostracism and disinterest in the things they used to enjoy or in the personal and social relationships they used to have.
When is it necessary to see a specialist?
The neurologist should be consulted when forgetfulness of immediate memory interferes with basic activities of daily living; when there are frequent and unexpected changes in behavior or a tendency to leave the house compulsively; when the patient no longer knows how to use common household appliances or simple objects and also if, despite telling someone to pay attention to a simple order, he/she is not able to remember it within a few minutes. As long as he/she is not depressed or under so much stress that he/she is unable to pay good attention.
At what age is it normal for memory to begin to fail?
In the physiological brain aging from the age of 50 years there may already be small failures in remembering names of people or things, but with effort one ends up remembering soon after. This may be more frequent if there are cerebral vascular risk factors (arterial hypertension; diabetes; hypercholesterolemia; smoker or habitual alcohol drinker; sleep apneas with daytime somnolence). But if these “absent-mindedness” become very frequent, clearly in the last year, then it is advisable to be studied by a neurologist.
How can we work on our memory?
With moderate physical exercise that allows a better cerebral oxygenation; with daily reading and hobbies of certain intellectual complexity (taking into account the cultural level of the subject); with a healthy and adequate diet (Mediterranean diet for example) and avoiding or adequately treating cardiovascular risk factors (mentioned above).