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from Part I - Foundations: What Do We Need to Know about Optimal Aging?
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 September 2022
Memory and cognition are critical parts of who we are. Our capacity for recall allows us to use past experience to guide our actions. Our cognitive abilities allow us to monitor events and evaluate plans for action. In aging there are varying degrees of decline in cognitive function which begin in the 30s and are quite common. They are not a disease and are accompanied by the growth of wisdom which can negate the influence of age-related memory changes. Memory losses with aging can be avoided with consideration of the importance of attention for memory. The role of forgetting as a normal activity of the brain is critical. It is necessary to realize that the influences of aging and age-related disease (such as Alzheimer’s) on brain function are not determined only on the processes of aging and disease -- the effect of these processes on our performance abilities depends upon our cognitive, physical, psychological, and social reserves. We all need to enhance these reserve capacities to decrease the influence of the aging process and developing brain disease on our function. This chapter reviews the functions of memory and how losses that accompany aging can best be managed.
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