Memory / Cognitive

By Rebecca Brightwell, Agrability in GA Staff

The brain is somewhat like a muscle: The more you use it, the stronger it gets. Many factors contribute to age-related memory loss including genetics, environment, and lifestyle. There are several strategies to compensate for memory loss:

Color coding proved an effective strategy on one horse farm. There is a young man who has a cognitive disability that works on the farm. One of his chores is to feed the horses. There are several different types of horse feed that the horses are given. The young man often forgot the number of scoops and mixture for each horse.

A simple solution was to use color coding. Each grain barrel has a unique color stripe to identify it from the other barrels. The scoops in each barrel matched the barrel color. Finally, a sign was placed above each horse stall showing the number of scoops by color each horse required.

All of the workers on the horse farm said they benefited greatly by this simple and yet effective color coding technique.

Use It or Lose It

When it comes to memory, it’s “use it or lose it.” Just as physical exercise can make and keep your body stronger, mental exercise can make your brain work better and lower the risk of mental decline. Here are some ideas for brain exercise, from light workouts to heavy lifting:

• Play games that involve strategy, like chess or bridge, and word games like Scrabble.
• Work crossword and other word puzzles, or number puzzles such as Sudoku.
• Read newspapers, magazines, and books that challenge you.
• Get in the habit of learning new things: games, recipes, driving routes.
• Take a course in an unfamiliar subject.
• Take on a project that involves design and planning: a new garden, a quilt, a koi pond.

Developing and maintaining social relationships

People who don’t have social contact with family and friends are at higher risk for memory problems than people who have strong social ties. Social interaction helps brain function in several ways: it often involves activity that challenges the mind, and it helps ward off stress and depression. So join a book club, reconnect with old friends, visit the local senior center. Being with other people will help keep you sharp!

If you have a specific question on memory devices, please contact us. Find out more by visiting the National AgrAbility web site.

Parts of this article were adapted from Helpguide.org

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