Rock Hill Senior Care: How Does Aging Effect Memory?

By Phil Davidson
As your parents get older, you may notice that they forget certain details about their day or week. While severe memory loss is something that should be addressed by a medical professional, the aging process naturally brings about a certain degree of memory loss. The elder care professionals at Always Best Care of Rock Hill, serving York, Lancaster, and Chester Counties, including the communities Rock Hill, Tega Cay, Fort Mill, Lake Wylie, and Indian Land, as well as York, Clover, and Sharon, know that any slips in your elderly loved one's memory may cause you to worry. To help you understand how the aging process naturally causes such lapses in memory, here are a few pieces of important information.

• Memory loss is caused, ultimately, by the inability of the brain to work as efficiently as it once did as it ages.


• The areas of the brain that are associated with cognitive function—including memory—are those that are most often impacted by this slowing down of mental activity.


• Memories are created through two processes: encoding and retrieving. Encoding occurs when a memory is stored by the brain cells. Retrieval takes place when stored memories are recalled.


• The inefficiency experienced by the brain due to age interferes with the encoding process. The brain cannot keep up with the demand to make new memories throughout the day. As such, small details, such as what an individual had for lunch two days ago, may go missing.
• \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\hort-term memories are those most impacted by this form of memory loss. Long-term memories, including knowledge and facts, are most often untouched by the aging process' effects on the brain and its ability to maintain memories, as they have already been encoded.

The home care professionals at Always Best Care of Rock Hill understand that dealing with any form of memory loss can be difficult; however, understanding why this condition is taking place can make it easier to cope with the aging process. If your elderly loved one is experiencing small lapses in short-term memory, their doctor will most likely not be too concerned. But it is important to remember that more severe memory loss, such as that which interferes with daily life, is something that requires medical attention. Should the severity of your senior's memory loss continue to grow, it may prove necessary to find a place for Mom or Dad that can provide them with the support they need—such as a nursing or assisted living community.


Finding the right care is not an easy decision to make, so we have put together an E-booklet filled with tips, advice, and general information so that you are well informed, visit us at http://bit.ly/OMRg8X


If you are interested in learning more about Alzheimer's and dementia care, contact the professionals at Always Best Care of Rock Hill at (803) 329-0079 or visit their website at http://www.alwaysbestcare.com/us/sc/york-county/rock-hill.aspx.


Call Always Best Care of Rock Hill today for your free consultation!