Page 229 - Mind Games The Aging Brain and How to Keep it Healthy

Enjoy Your Ageless Mental Agility • 213

glasses or medicines, were placed on the plate. Sticky notes
(in a contrasting color) with terse, one-line descriptions of a
specific activity that needed to be done, were placed at odd
angles on the rim of the plate. This device, which could be
vividly recalled as needed, reduced the frequency of every-
day memory lapses an average of 57 percent to 65 percent. 3
What a wonderful idea and so simple and inexpensive an
approach. Just remember that we are going for visually
memorable, and the more obnoxious the color combination,
the better.

Here are a few other strategies:
• Make a list.

• Place frequently needed objects in the same place.
• Leave yourself notes.
• Twist your watch around on your wrist so that every oc-
casion you check for the time and have to turn the watch,
you can rehearse what you are trying to remember.

Now we want to give you the chance we promised you to
test your cognitive abilities, learn some remediation strate-
gies, practice them, and test your cognitive abilities again. Be-
fore you start, though, we want to remind you of a few
things.
• You tested yourself already to determine whether you
are an auditory, visual, or kinesthetic learner. While try-
ing to incorporate the mental exercises and techniques
that follow, try to use your preferred method of re-
hearsal. Also, include the other techniques as much as
possible, even if they are not your preferred method.
You want all of those areas recording information, and
the more modes of inputting information you use, the
more you should recall.

• Similar memories may be confusing due to the number
of associations in your mind. Try to find the differences
among the various techniques as well as the similarities.