Like the rest of the world, I'm on Facebook. I don't send out many messages, I admit: mostly I use it to follow the travels and travails of my friends and clients, to lands afar and keeping up on births, deaths, birthdays and the like. I follow one person who feels it necessary to tell the world every place they go. Another is infatuated with food: at least post it when it's served before it's a half-eaten plate of food! I think though, the most personally offensive things I read posted is the "Do you remember this" postings... I'm not senile yet. I'm not experiencing any sort of dementia currently. Why would I not remember something like a TV commercial or song of the 50's? Need I be reminded that I am indeed (and I admit) getting older? Are these postings a test to see if I am of sound mind... from my friends!
We all have a treasure trove of memories in our brain of a hard drive, waiting to be retrieved at any time we need. Certainly, as we age it takes a little longer to bring up certain information, but it's all there. So, my grey-haired friends, I ask you... what are you doing to service your hard drive?
I hear more and more excuses about not remembering- "are you a member of the CRS club?" (if you don't know what this is, call me- I can't put it in the article!) "Oh, I hate this getting older thing- I can't remember what I came into the room for", and all those excuses for not recalling something. I agree it's frustrating and somewhat maddening at times, but what do you do to combat this stage in your life, and keep up on it? Let's look at some of the things you can do to battle and win this syndrome...
If you have a flip phone, it's time to go. Yes, I know all you need to use it for is to make an occasional call, and you don't want to learn how to use those new-fangled phones. Newsflash: there's a reason it's called a Smart-Phone... it's smart! It's much easier to use than the old flip phone and most importantly it can help you when you find yourself in a situation where your memory used to get you out of. My phone is called the Samsung Note- note being the operative word here. It has a small pen ready to pop out at any time to make a note for me to remember later. I use it to make my list before I go shopping, mark down someone's phone number, directions, or a reminder for a good article in the future. Most importantly, it has GPS built in it. You always have your phone with you, so you will always have your personal GPS with you. We all seem to find ourselves turned about in a place we've been a thousand times- all you have to do is preset it in the comfort of your home for when you need it, take out and set it for home, and it will magically tell you how and where to turn and get you right to your front door- without even having to engage or talk to a stranger. If a client comes in and plops a flip phone on my table, I make it a must for them to get rid of it and upgrade to a Smart-Phone... it's not even up for debate... it's a must. You have the single best way to remember everything right in the palm of your hand... if you put it there.
Go to the medicine cabinet and line up all your meds, label facing you. Take out your new Smart-Phone (see... you're using it already!) and take a picture. Now when you go to the doctor and have to list your meds, all you have to do is bring up the picture, and voila! There it is with the names, dates, dosages, etc. Try THAT with your flip-phone! Are you a grandparent? Love your flower garden? Trying to re-live that vacation where you saw that unbelievable site? Back to the Smart-Phone... it's getting better and better- take all the pictures you want and have them available to you at any time... even send them out to a friend! Now, let's talk Amazon... the 9th wonder of the world! Amazon is an amazing business concept from where I sit... which is why Jeff Bezos, the founder, is the richest individual in the world! With just a push of a few buttons, you can save that trip to the market or Home-Depot, and in most cases have what you need in less than 24 hours, delivered right to your door. Don't worry about the icy sidewalk or heavy rains or unsafe conditions... have it brought right to you (as an investment advisor, I must disclose that I hold no positions in Amazon stock nor plan to acquire any in the next few weeks and am not recommending the purchase of their stock). You may have heard the expression "download the app:" app is short for application. Again, at no cost for most, you can download to your Smart-Phone all kinds of applications we grey-hairs can use to keep our minds sharp... crosswords, scrabble, and a thousand things we can use to help us remember- I haven't forgotten where I was going with this- apps to help with day to day tasks. Do yourself a favor- don't give in to the theory as we age it's an excuse to forget things- fight it with all you've got, use every tool available to you and don't give up no matter what... and for heaven's sake, get rid of that old flip phone!
