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Sidney Klarer

Professor Sipes

English 1202.K02

21 March 2021

Literature Review

Everyone can deal with memory loss in different ways. Some may not be able to

remember a specific event that just happened recently while others might not be able to

remember older memories from their past. It may be a short term problem and can be resolved or

it may be for longer and life changing. Some may have a real memory problem while others just

can’t remember one thing. No matter the severity of how bad a person’s memory is, the real

question is what are the main diseases/conditions and how can we prevent memory loss and stop

it from happening. Questioning how memory loss can be prevented would help out multiple

people as it could give them a chance at a better life.

Mild forgetfulness, a normal part of aging, does not stop a person from living their life.

Once it gets to the point where that person can not do simple tasks because of their memory then

it may be something serious. Some of these signs to tell if a person's memory is getting worse

may be repeatedly asking a question over and over again, getting lost in familiar places, being

more confused about familiar topics, or not being able to follow simple instructions (“Memory,

Forgetfulness, and Aging: What’s Normal and What’s Not?”).

Mild Cognitive Impairment, or MCI, can also be seen as a person ages. This just means

they have more memory or thinking problems than others their age. People with MCI can

typically do normal activities and take care of themselves, however it may be an early sign of

Alzheimer's disease or dementia (“Memory, Forgetfulness, and Aging: What’s Normal and
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What’s Not?”). There are two main categories for symptoms of MCI, the first being memory and

second dealing with thought process. The memory aspect of it could be forgetting certain details

from an appointment you had while the thought process aspect could be about not being able to

plan and complete a complex task like balancing a checkbook. These symptoms can occur in the

same person, but not always (Stang).

Cognitive functioning may be lost while aging as well. This includes thinking,

remembering, learning, and reasoning, and losing it is often a normal part of dementia. Memory

loss is the most known sign of having dementia however it is not the only sign. Dementia can

also lead to having problems with language skills, visual perception, paying attention, and

personality changes. There are many forms of dementia but the most common is Alzheimer's

disease. Alzheimer’s disease can lead to making poor judgements and decisions more than usual,

problems taking care of monthly bills, and losing track of the date, time, or year (“Memory,

Forgetfulness, and Aging: What’s Normal and What’s Not?”).

MCI, Dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease all deal with memory loss and are some of the

main diseases/conditions people think of when they start to lose their memory. Everyone

wonders what they can do to prevent losing so much of their memory. Mayo Clinic has done

multiple studies on this and has found the best easy and simple ways to improve memory loss.

One thing you can do is include physical activity in your daily routine. This increases blood flow

to your whole body, including the brain, keeping your memory sharper. You can also stay

mentally active by doing crossword puzzles or even taking different routes when going to and

from work. There is no certainty that one will gain all their memory back after doing these things

but they are proven to help it (Mayo Clinic Staff).

Memory loss has also been shown to affect your virtuous behavior. In a recent study, the

effect of memory efficacy on perception was tested to view virtuous behavior. It was tested using

prosocial choices: charitable giving and volunteering. Memory efficacy was defined as people's

general belief that they will remember in the future the things they are doing or experiencing in

the present. It was found that low-memory efficacy decreased virtuous behavior. This was due to

lower perceptions of self diagnosticity. This all relates to memory loss because if studies show

that virtuous behavior is decreased with worse memory then more people will be more likely to

do whatever they can to save theory memory (Touré-Tillery).

Even though you can prevent memory loss and try your best to not let it worsen too

much, it is inevitable and we all have to be able to deal with it. To cope with your own memory

loss, you can just make a few adjustments to your daily activities. This can be as simple as using

a list for chores or keeping your address book and calendar up to date. To cope with a loved

one’s memory loss you can keep a checklist of their medications, help them organize their home,

or even use sticky notes around the house as different reminders (Pietrangelo).
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Works Cited

Mayo Clinic Staff. “Memory Loss: 7 Tips to Improve Your Memory.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo

Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 10 Mar. 2021,

www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/healthy-aging/in-depth/memory-loss/art-20046518.

“Memory, Forgetfulness, and Aging: What’s Normal and What’s Not?” National Institute on

Aging, 21 Oct. 2020,

www.nia.nih.gov/health/memory-forgetfulness-and-aging-whats-normal-and-whats-not.

Pietrangelo, Ann. “Memory Loss.” Healthline, 1 Nov. 2019,

https://www.healthline.com/health/memory-loss.

Stang, Debra. “Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI).” Healthline, Healthline Media, 4 Aug. 2017,

www.healthline.com/health/mild-cognitive-impairment.

Touré-Tillery, Maferima, and Maryam Kouchaki. “You Will Not Remember This: How Memory

Efficacy Influences Virtuous Behavior.” Journal of Consumer Research, vol. 47, no. 5,

Feb. 2021, pp. 737–754. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1093/jcr/ucaa023.