Managing Your Memory : Practical Solutions for Forgetting

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.

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.