Carved in Sand – When Attention Fails and Memory Fades in Midlife by Cathryn Jakobson Ramin
What forty- or fifty-something year old wouldn’t pick this book off the shelf when they saw it? I’m in my late 40’s and becoming increasingly frustrated with what I feel is my lack of memory. From trying to remember what I had for dinner last night to forgetting that I left my tea bag seeping for two hours. Names are at the tip of my tongue and I feel like my once thought to be incredible memory is fading fast. With my mom and aunt having suffered through Alzheimer’s disease, the thought of it striking me is the one thing I don’t forget.
I know my husband complains as well about his memory and he shrugs it off as part of getting older. It drives him crazy but he’s able to accept it though reluctantly. I on the hand question why this is happening to me. Is it hormones? Too much info stuffed in my brain and there’s no more room for more? With access to phone, email, the web and yes, Facebook, am I so easily distracted that I’m not really absorbing anything?
The author of Carved in Sand, having similar memory issues, decides to explore the various interventions that may or may not help with her memory. She takes you through ten interventions including the exploration of meditation and neurofeedback, pharmacological solutions, brain scans, mental exercises and diet and nutrition to name just a few. Conclusion? There’s no one fix and everyone’s different. However, this makes for really interesting reading. Ramin shares a wealth of research from leaders in the field (I loved that one of my grad school profs, Dr. Andrew Saykin was quoted!) and you have to be impressed that she was able to hob knob with so many!
Despite the amount of research in the book, Ramin is able to tell her story and relay the information in an easy to read format that makes for interesting reading. With the number of baby boomers aging, this is a timely subject and one that will continue to fascinate as we consider senior care for our parents, grandparents and eventually ourselves.
If you are in need of information on senior care for yourself or a loved one in Northern Chester, Western Montgomery or Upper Bucks County, PA, please contact us – we can help!