Memory enhancement video and workshops for senior citizens.

The story behind the making of the video “Day to Day memory Enhancement Techniques for Adults and Senior Citizens”. With Amazon.com and Createspace. Today I just gave a speed reading workshop to a memory enhancement group of senior citizens in Warterbury , Connecticut. One lady was over 90 years of age. As a group of about 12 ladies they read 1650 words. At the end of an hour they read a total of 1960 words per minute. The Senior Center staff was floored. What, in just one hour??? When I realized what I had just done I decided to write this article about what I am doing for memory improvement. I started out with a memory improvement test for students with ADHD and or test anxiety. When I was performing biofeedback sessions with students, I realized that the relaxation or medication, alone would never be enough. Now students with ADHD have memory issues, but mainly due to concentration issues. While students with test anxiety had a stress block not letting them remember for an exam. The children needed study strategies. The first study strategy I started with to add to the biofeedback sessions were memory techniques. These included memory for lists like the Roman Journey method and so on. After working with memory each year I studied another strategy to add. These included speed reading , mind mapping , time management , study strategies, handwriting correction , test taking strategies, and then essay writing. However , I never really focused on memory techniques alone rather as part of the complete strategies a high school student or university student needs. But then one day a few years back, I received a call from Middlesex Hospital to offer a memory workshop as a stand -alone for cancer patients who have “chemo brain”. I was told that these patients have memory issues. These people had a brain reason for having memory issues that was not dementia of old age. I gave my memory workshop for them and noticed that not really being students their memory needs were different. One patient wanted to remember a recipe’, another where they placed their spectacles. So their memory needs were day to day improvements in life quality. I had to focus on different techniques here. Then, I figured , well , if I can work with Chemo brain maybe I could work with epilepsy. So I offered to do a memory workshop for epilepsy sufferers in a epilepsy support group I run as part of my duties as a neuro- diagnostic technologists at an Epilepsy Monitoring Unit. Well, it turned out that their memory needs were also unique. People with epilepsy, it turns out , have memory issues because many epilepsies are in the left temporal lobe which is the site of memory. Also , anti epileptic medication may interfere with memory and concentration . Then there are people who have epilepsy and had head trauma or brain surgery. Their memory needs were as simple as remembering to take a medication or keep an appointment. This then led to giving memory workshops at senior centers where I also gave art workshops. Well, and this was a surprise, their needs were also unique and different than students . Many seniors told me they wanted to remember names because they meet new people all the time at senior centers. They also wanted to remember the birthdays of their grandchildren. Another need was how to remember what you read as when you are retired as you have the time to read more. And, of course, everyone needs to remember where they parked their car. Most important I also teach how to remember numbers so that in an emergency if you need money from an ATM you can remember your password or code. That happened to me. I needed cash and I had to use a memory association technique to conjure up a vision of what number I needed. You would also need to remember a telephone number in case of emergency.