Memory in Older Adults Better Than Ever

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - For many adults, the golden years often are tarnished by so-called ``senior moments'' or problems remembering names, dates and other details of daily life. But a recent study found today's elderly population has a better memory than their counterparts just 5 years earlier.

The results are good news to the millions of baby boomers approaching their senior years. By 2010, the first of the baby boomer generation will turn 65. And by 2020, one in six Americans will be aged 65 or older--20 million more seniors than today.

``Our study suggests that being old and being of sound mind may be more compatible than ever,'' Dr. Vicki Freedman, a study author from the Philadelphia Geriatric Center, said in a prepared statement.

Results from a battery of memory tests given to more than 15,000 adults aged 70 and older reveal that while memory problems increase with age, the percentage of adults aged 70 and older with severe memory problems declined to nearly 4% in 1998 from more than 6% in 1993.

Even among adults 85 and older, severe memory problems declined to about 8% from nearly 14% during the same period, according to the report published in the March issue of the Journals of Gerontology.

Those who had not graduated from high school showed the greatest memory improvements over the decade, suggesting that educational forces do not underlie the trend. Rather, better treatments for dementia, depression and strokes may be responsible, researchers suggested.

In an interview with Reuters Health, Freedman cautioned that the results are preliminary. However, the data could have ''broad implications for the costs of providing medical and long-term care for future generations,'' she said.

``If the change we are finding is part of a longer trend, and that is still a big 'if,' then continuing declines in the rate of severe cognitive impairment could help offset the anticipated increase in the numbers of seniors with dementia and other cognitive problems,'' Freedman explained.

SOURCE: Journals of Gerontology 2001;56(B):S100-S111.

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