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Advice by Alicia: How Seasons Affect Memory Impairment

Tuesday, August 02, 2016

Welcome to Alicia’s monthly advice column where she’ll provide tips on caring for a loved one with dementia. Alicia Seaver is the Director of Memory Care at Bridges® by EPOCH and is a certified memory impairment specialist. This month’s topic is how seasons affect memory impairment.

Whether or not you’re familiar with the term “seasonal affective disorder,” you’re probably familiar with the broader idea that seasons affect how we feel. A couple weeks of cold, dreary, drizzly weather often bring down even the peppiest of people. By contrast, bright, sunny weather can absolutely lift our moods.

However, it turns out that seasons, even independent of the different sorts of weather they bring, might have an actual, observable effect on how our brains work.

This insight comes to us from Belgium, in a study published by The National Academy of Sciences.  Study participants in an isolated lab took a series of tests in every season, during which time their brains were scanned. While the test results were the same in every season, brain activity peaked on the memory test in the fall and bottomed out in spring. In other words, while participants’ abilities to perform certain memory-related tasks remained relatively stable year-round, the cognitive effort it took to complete those tasks varied by season.

For people living with dementia, seasonal changes can be especially confusing, disorienting and frustrating, and certain seasons simply bring more challenges. The following are tips for helping your loved one cope with these changes:

Exercise extra vigilance during the fall: We still don’t know why, exactly, memory-related tasks require extra brain activity in the fall. But whatever the reason, it’s a good idea to go the extra mile in autumn. You don’t have to do anything different—just do the things you normally would a bit more often. Make sure your loved one is eating healthy foods and getting lots of exercise. Spend extra time doing the activities they love and engaging them in pleasant conversation. Nothing too complicated, but things that should take on a little more importance during this time of year.

Weatherproof the home: Relatedly, it’s a good idea to do an inventory of your house and evaluate how difficult navigating it in bad weather will be. Is there a long driveway that will become treacherous in the snow? Are there issues with the roof or gutters that will let rain seep in? Take proactive steps to clear snow and deal with any potential structural issues. Seniors are vulnerable to slipping and falling, and those with dementia may be at a higher risk.

Keep an eye on the weather: Even setting aside recent scientific findings, we know that weather can affect our mood, and we know that our mood can affect our well-being. For a person living with dementia, the daily weather is more than just a curiosity or an inconvenience. Keep track of weather patterns, especially frequent rain and long stretches of dreary weather. Even if it doesn’t have a scientifically observable effect on brain patterns, such weather can definitely bring us down, and adults with dementia are particularly vulnerable to mood swings.

Plan some bad weather activities: Again, physical activity is crucial for those living with dementia. Getting exercise is tough when the weather is cold, dreary and unpleasant. But while you can’t exactly hike indoors, there are a lot of things you can do to exercise the body and mind. Break out the board games, read together and do some cooking or crafting. You can still do some stretching and light walking at an indoor location, too.

In short, be aware of the weather and how it might affect your loved one’s mood, and you’ll be well-equipped to keep their spirits up when the nights are long and the days are dreary.

If there is a topic you would like Alicia to discuss, please send suggestions to [email protected].

 

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