6 ways to improve focus, memory, and mental sharpness

Also: New hospital ratings evaluate delivery of care.

May 21, 2015 May 21, 2015 Two ways to stay mentally sharp Regular physical activity helps keep your heart, lungs, and muscles in shape and can stave off the effects of aging. In much the same way, exercising your brain can help keep your mind sharp and your memory intact. Here are two ways to activate your brain. Keep busy and engaged The MacArthur Foundation Study on Successful Aging, a long-term study of aging in America, found that education level was the strongest predictor of mental capacity as people aged. The more education, the more likely an individual was to maintain his or her memory and thinking skills. Other research has shown that people who held jobs that involved complex work, such as speaking to, instructing, or negotiating with others, had a lower risk of memory loss (dementia) than people whose jobs were less intellectually demanding. Get your copy of Improving Memory By age 60, more than half of adults have concerns about their memory. However, minor memory lapses that occur with age are not usually signs of a serious problem, such as Alzheimer’s disease, but rather the result of normal changes in the structure and function of the brain. This report describes these normal age-related changes and other, more serious causes of memory loss — and how to distinguish between them. It probably isn't the years of formal education or the type of occupation that benefits memory. Instead, these are likely stand-ins for a lifelong habit of learning and engaging in mentally challenging activities. Intellectual enrichment and learning stimulate the brain to make more connections. The more connections, the more resilient the brain. That's how a lifelong habit of learning and engaging in mentally challenging activities — like learning a new language or craft — can help keep the brain in shape. Stay connected Establishing and maintaining close ties with others is another way to maintain mental skills and memory. There are several ways that social engagement may do this. Social interaction and mentally engaging activities often go hand in hand (think volunteering or tutoring schoolkids). Social relationships can also provide support during stressful times, reducing the damaging effects that stress can have on the brain. Social support can come from relationships with family members, friends, relatives, or caregivers, as well as from a religious community or other organized group. Meaningful, socially engaging activities may prove especially helpful. In a study conducted with the Baltimore Experience Corps, volunteers were assigned to either a waitlist (control group) or a group that helped elementary school children during class and library time. Early results suggested that participants who remained engaged in the program for many months improved their executive function and memory. For more on boosting your memory and diagnosing memory problems, buy Improving Memory: Understanding age-related memory loss, a Special Health Report from Harvard Medical School. Share this story: News and Views from the Harvard Health Blog New hospital ratings evaluate delivery of “typical care” For the past 25 years, US News and World Report has analyzed information from about 2,000 large hospitals in the United States and ranked the top 50 in each of 16 different specialties. These rankings were never meant to be used by people in need of typical care. That's changing. The US News team is now ranking community hospitals on how well they do for more than a dozen common procedures and medical conditions. 4 ways to improve focus and memory Normal aging leads to gradual changes in many skills associated with thinking and memory. For example, you might find it harder to focus your attention and absorb information quickly. The slowdown in processing can lead to a bottleneck of information entering your short-term memory, reducing the amount of information that can be acquired and encoded into long-term memory. But the following four strategies can help enhance your focus and ability to attend to the information presented to you: When someone is talking to you, look at the person and listen closely. If you missed something that was said, ask the person to repeat it or to speak more slowly. Paraphrase what is said to make sure that you understand it and to reinforce the information. For example, if someone says, "We can see the movie either at Loews Theater at 7:30 or at the Paramount at 7:50," you might respond, "Which would you prefer, 7:30 at Loews or 7:50 at the Paramount?" If you find that you tend to become distracted during conversations, try getting together with people in quiet environments. For example, you could suggest meeting at someone's home instead of at a noisy restaurant. When you do meet people at a restaurant, sit at a table near a wall. If your companions sit against the wall and you sit facing them, you'll be able to focus on them without having your attention wander to other diners. You can improve your ability to focus on a task and screen out distractions if you do one thing at a time. Try to avoid interruptions. For example, if someone asks you something while you're in the middle of reading or working, ask if the person can wait until you're finished. Don't answer the phone until you've finished what you're doing — let voice mail take the call. To read more about ways to improve your memory, buy the Special Health Report Improving Your Memory from Harvard Medical School.  Share this story: Featured in this issue Improving Memory Featured content: • What is memory? • How we remember • Forgetting: What's normal? • How memory changes with age • Memory impairment: Normal aging or brain disease? •  ... and more! 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