The key to healthy memory functioning at ANY age is attention (p. 20).

 From my 2009 Journal. When my eyes began to change around age 40, I decided to get progressive lenses so I would never have to search for a pair of reading glasses. But now I’m losing my mind. Sigh.

I just read the book Where Did I Leave My Glasses? (The What, When, and Why of Normal Memory Loss) by Martha Weinman Lear.

 Conclusion: I’m normal! Yay! Here are some of my takeaways from the book.

• I can’t change or improve memory loss, but I can improve my ability to cope with it (the author gives some compensatory strategies).
• Do you need to make introductions and you’ve forgotten names? Try “Do you two know each other?” and hope they introduce each other!
• Multitasking ability actually does decrease with age (but since I was poor at it in my youth, I’m doomed!)
• Tip: Focus on one thing at a time. Deliberately block out a time for one task, no interruptions. (Good luck with that!)
• “I never said that” and “I always knew it” are ego protection statements. “The need to feel right is a huge factor in how we remember and how we forget” (p. 110).
• “Just because it looks like a duck and walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, make no assumptions. Not when the subject is memory” (p. 115).

Now, what was I saying . . . ?