Managing Your Memory: Practical Solutions for Forgetting - Softcover

Bill E. Beckwith

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0974837911 ISBN 13: 9780974837918

Publisher: Argent Books, 2005

Synopsis

There are three pillars to aging: finances, health and most important, memory. Even if you have all the money that you need and perfect health for your age, if you have lost you’re ability to remember, financial security and good health will be meaningless to you.

In clear and encouraging prose, Dr. Bill Beckwith describes strategies to reinforce and strengthen memory that will are helpful to those facing the changes of aging as well as the challenges of illnesses that interfere with memory. In the first major section of the book Beckwith helps you better understand how memory works and explains how you can develop specific techniques to effectively learn and remember new information, remember what needs to get done when, and remember where to go and how to get there. These chapters also discuss the changes that can be expected during aging.

The second section describes disorders of memory and the concepts of Mild Cognitive Impairment, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease and contains the most technical chapters in the book. The third section covers the controllable factors of diet and exercise that may improve mental operations as we age and may slow down possible memory disorders. These last chapters also contain information needed for planning ahead for the possible development of a memory disorder or if you already have mild changes in memory beyond those of normal aging.

About this title

From the Author

I am now in my late 50s, and this book has given me the opportunity to look back at my own experiences with memory. I have been interested in how memory works at least since I had to memorize a passage from Macbeth as a senior in high school. I also had to master my memory in order to efficiently study and learn during my years of undergraduate and graduate training.

It is clear to me that the memory skill that allows me to learn and retain new information and keeps me from being overly absentminded does not benefit from exercise, or "mental aerobics." I have learned many skills and a great deal of information during my life, but I have always had to put time and effort into this process. As I grow older I have to use more notes, rely on a more detailed calendar, and keep myself more organized. In short, I am aware that I have to manage my short-term and working memory as the brain systems that regulate these faculties become less efficient with each decade that I continue to live. Despite these changes I plan to be able to successfully enjoy my life and recall my experiences. If I practice what I preach (and I do not develop a disorder of memory), I will learn and grow, to paraphrase Carl Rogers, as long as I live.

About the Author

For more than 30 years, Dr. Bill E. Beckwith has been studying, researching, and teaching about memory. His PhD in Clinical Psychology is from The Ohio State University.

His extensive career as an educator spans decades of teaching–from preschool to graduate students. As a professor at the University of North Dakota, Beckwith was honored with several teaching awards including the Faculty Achievement Award for Reseach, Teaching, and Service. He has broadened our knowledge of neuroscience, learning, and memory and published over 90 scholarly papers.

During the past decade, Beckwith has focused on the needs of people with memory loss and their caregivers by developing important new approaches and programs. He led and trained others as the clinical director of a major memory disorders clinic. He als established the Department of Behaviorial Health and created the innovative Center for Excellence in Memory Care for a large retirement community.

Edition details

• Publisher: Argent Books
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0974837911
• ISBN 13: 9780974837918
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 194