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Improving Your Memory: How to Remember What You're Starting to Forget
Designed to be used as a self-help manual or as a student text in a memory-improvement course, Improving Your Memory enables adults to understand how memory works, how it changes with age, and how it can be improved with training and practice. In clear, concise language, the authors describe the memory process, discuss conditions that can affect anyone's memory--such as depression, illness, or stress--and offer practical memory improvement techniques. Examples and exercises are included in the workbook-style manual to demonstrate concepts and techniques and their application in daily life.
112 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
April 30, 2023
جيد جدا واحلى حاجه هي الأمثلة ع كل جزئية 👌👌
November 19, 2018
A Great Handbook for Those Concerned About Memory Changes
What do you get when two clinical social workers who work in a geriatric centre write a handbook on how to improve your memory skills? A fine little guide for helping older people who are concerned about the changes in their memory!
Janet Fogler and Lynn Stern team up in “Improving Your Memory: How to Remember What You’re Starting to Forget” (2014) in this fourth edition. Originally published in 1988, these social workers have created the book that I have been looking for. In this fourth edition, they have included the smartphone and other technologies that are helpful to us as we manage our daily tasks and are challenged by our aging minds and bodies.
The paperback (168 pages) is medium-sized and is packed with real-life stories and examples to help the reader understand the concepts. There are also quizzes throughout to help the reader apply the knowledge learned (to help one remember!). It is divided into four parts:
1. How memory works
2. How memory changes as we age
3. Factors that affect memory
4. Techniques for improving your memory
I cracked open the book and dived into section four, as I was eager to see what techniques the authors were recommending. They offered some great ideas, and even ones I had not heard of before. One of them had to do with switching your ring or watch to your other hand or wrist, as an indicator that you had something to remember. It is much like the classic “tying a string around your finger” trick. I found some of the mental exercises fun and a little tricky, and I enjoyed trying out some new skills to help me remember things. The one example for myself that comes to mind is when I am attending an appointment and I have to park in a large parkade. I will use an “active observation” technique so I won’t forget where I left the car!
The first three parts of the book are very easy to understand and come with an illustration of “A Model For How Memory Works.” For us visual learners, these kinds of diagrams are helpful. Encoding (getting something to stick) and retrieval (being able to recall something) can become a little more difficult as we get older, for a variety of reasons. The authors explain, in simple language, why these things happen and how we can try to combat them. Whether our forgetfulness is due to stress, grief, depression, poor concentration, medications, or illness, memory problems can cause added stressors. The authors give some good advice in the appendix on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias; “What is good for your heart is also good for your brain, so monitoring heart disease, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol is important” (page 142).
I was surprised to learn the book doesn’t talk about “mild cognitive impairment” and the prevalence rates of Alzheimer’s disease and other related dementias. Knowing that the risk of Alzheimer’s disease increases with age is important to know, but not knowing the level of risk does not allay any fears or concerns one may have. (The World Health Organization estimates, of those 60 and over, 5 to 8 people per 100 will develop dementia.)
I also noticed the absence of the terms “mindfulness” and “meditation,” as those two terms are used quite often in most of the current brain health literature I have been reading. Fogler and Stern mention how alcohol can negatively affect your memory, but they omitted any mention of drugs. Interestingly the nutrition section has no reference to supplements. I also observed God, higher power, and spirituality are not discussed.
Overall, a highly recommended guide and workbook for those who want to learn about: how the brain stores and retrieves information (in our “working” and “long-term” memory); what happens to the aging brain; what may cause memory problems; and tips and techniques on how to maximize your chances of remembering things. I’ll leave you with these two tips: “Much of what is called ‘forgetting’ is a lack of paying attention” (p. 137); and “Study after study shows that increased fitness levels result in improvement on cognitive tests” (p. 64).
Angela G. Gentile, MSW, RSW
Author/Specialist in Aging
www.AngelaGGentile.com
What do you get when two clinical social workers who work in a geriatric centre write a handbook on how to improve your memory skills? A fine little guide for helping older people who are concerned about the changes in their memory!
Janet Fogler and Lynn Stern team up in “Improving Your Memory: How to Remember What You’re Starting to Forget” (2014) in this fourth edition. Originally published in 1988, these social workers have created the book that I have been looking for. In this fourth edition, they have included the smartphone and other technologies that are helpful to us as we manage our daily tasks and are challenged by our aging minds and bodies.
The paperback (168 pages) is medium-sized and is packed with real-life stories and examples to help the reader understand the concepts. There are also quizzes throughout to help the reader apply the knowledge learned (to help one remember!). It is divided into four parts:
1. How memory works
2. How memory changes as we age
3. Factors that affect memory
4. Techniques for improving your memory
I cracked open the book and dived into section four, as I was eager to see what techniques the authors were recommending. They offered some great ideas, and even ones I had not heard of before. One of them had to do with switching your ring or watch to your other hand or wrist, as an indicator that you had something to remember. It is much like the classic “tying a string around your finger” trick. I found some of the mental exercises fun and a little tricky, and I enjoyed trying out some new skills to help me remember things. The one example for myself that comes to mind is when I am attending an appointment and I have to park in a large parkade. I will use an “active observation” technique so I won’t forget where I left the car!
The first three parts of the book are very easy to understand and come with an illustration of “A Model For How Memory Works.” For us visual learners, these kinds of diagrams are helpful. Encoding (getting something to stick) and retrieval (being able to recall something) can become a little more difficult as we get older, for a variety of reasons. The authors explain, in simple language, why these things happen and how we can try to combat them. Whether our forgetfulness is due to stress, grief, depression, poor concentration, medications, or illness, memory problems can cause added stressors. The authors give some good advice in the appendix on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias; “What is good for your heart is also good for your brain, so monitoring heart disease, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol is important” (page 142).
I was surprised to learn the book doesn’t talk about “mild cognitive impairment” and the prevalence rates of Alzheimer’s disease and other related dementias. Knowing that the risk of Alzheimer’s disease increases with age is important to know, but not knowing the level of risk does not allay any fears or concerns one may have. (The World Health Organization estimates, of those 60 and over, 5 to 8 people per 100 will develop dementia.)
I also noticed the absence of the terms “mindfulness” and “meditation,” as those two terms are used quite often in most of the current brain health literature I have been reading. Fogler and Stern mention how alcohol can negatively affect your memory, but they omitted any mention of drugs. Interestingly the nutrition section has no reference to supplements. I also observed God, higher power, and spirituality are not discussed.
Overall, a highly recommended guide and workbook for those who want to learn about: how the brain stores and retrieves information (in our “working” and “long-term” memory); what happens to the aging brain; what may cause memory problems; and tips and techniques on how to maximize your chances of remembering things. I’ll leave you with these two tips: “Much of what is called ‘forgetting’ is a lack of paying attention” (p. 137); and “Study after study shows that increased fitness levels result in improvement on cognitive tests” (p. 64).
Angela G. Gentile, MSW, RSW
Author/Specialist in Aging
www.AngelaGGentile.com
April 25, 2022
كتاب معني بالحديث عن الذاكرة وما يعرض لها من قصور وضعف، موجه لكبار السن والكهول، وأصحاب العلل والأمراض.
April 14, 2021
كتاب قوّ ذاكرتك
كيف تستطيع تذكر ما بدأت تنساه
للكاتب: جانيت فوتلر، لين ستيرن
النسيان في بعض الأحيان نعمة، ولكن إذا بدأ النسيان يكون مزمن ومتعب بالنسبة لك، فعليك حينها السعي للبحث عن العلاج، هذا الكتاب في هذا المجال، الكتاب محاولة لحل المشكلة، الكتاب جيد بشكل عام، نتطلع لمطالعة كتاب آخر للمؤلف.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 19, 2016
I happened to randomly pick up this book, and always being interested in the issue of memory and the mind [1], I decided to give it a look as it did not look like an overly demanding read. It wasn't. There are some books which focus on theory and understanding and others which focus on practice, and this book focuses clearly on practice, on the useful tips and tricks one can use to remember things better. Every once in a while books like this can be useful to see what one does automatically or habitually and what reminders one could use to improve one's techniques. Some people will likely appreciate this book and find a lot more use from it than others, but as most people from time to time find themselves unable to recall a name that is on the tip of their tongue, books like this can be a source of comfort as well as encouragement in seeking to remember things better, and it provides advice that is both thoughtful and practical on research on memory, something a lot of people have a strong interest in.
The contents of this short (roughly 100 page) book are divided into four chapters. The first chapter looks at how memory works, showing the link between sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory and how items move from each type of memory through attention and encoding and recall. The second chapter looks at how memory changes as people age, largely seeking to comfort and encourage those who are growing older by reminding them that even as recall fades they still remember and know more than many young people, and can still learn new things if they are willing and able to adopt some savvy strategies. Chapter three focuses on those factors that negatively effect memory for people of all ages, including: negative expectations, stress, anxiety, depression, loss and grief, inactivity, lack of organization in daily life, fatigue, some physical illnesses like kidney problems, some medications, vision and hearing problems, alcohol, and poor nutrition. After a couple of appendices to this section, the fourth chapter contains some memory improvement strategies and techniques such as association, visualization, elaboration, active observation, writing things down, using sound to trigger memory, changing the surroundings to jog into memory, chunking, storytelling, and searching one's memory for facts that could serve as cues for recall. This is the part of the book that many readers will likely enjoy the most.
Despite the fact that the book is largely encouraging in its nature and contents, I found a great deal that was poignant about the book. For one, the book is aimed mostly at older audiences, who the author figures are not fully using the strategies that would help them out and are instead frustrated and even fatalistic about memory loss and not doing all that they can to keep their mental function sharp. While the authors try to minimize the numbers of adults who suffer from dementia and other progressive and incurable diseases that affect memory, in many ways this book appears to engage in some whistling past the graveyard. Aging is a depressing experience for many people, with the loss of one's physical and mental capabilities that one has taken for granted for a lifetime, with the loss of relationships, and the loss of the energy that it takes to do what one wishes to do in life. This is a book that will hopefully of use to many people but will likely be a poignant reminder to many about the ravages of time that so many people have to deal with.
[1] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2010...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2012...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2013...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2014...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2014...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2015...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...
The contents of this short (roughly 100 page) book are divided into four chapters. The first chapter looks at how memory works, showing the link between sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory and how items move from each type of memory through attention and encoding and recall. The second chapter looks at how memory changes as people age, largely seeking to comfort and encourage those who are growing older by reminding them that even as recall fades they still remember and know more than many young people, and can still learn new things if they are willing and able to adopt some savvy strategies. Chapter three focuses on those factors that negatively effect memory for people of all ages, including: negative expectations, stress, anxiety, depression, loss and grief, inactivity, lack of organization in daily life, fatigue, some physical illnesses like kidney problems, some medications, vision and hearing problems, alcohol, and poor nutrition. After a couple of appendices to this section, the fourth chapter contains some memory improvement strategies and techniques such as association, visualization, elaboration, active observation, writing things down, using sound to trigger memory, changing the surroundings to jog into memory, chunking, storytelling, and searching one's memory for facts that could serve as cues for recall. This is the part of the book that many readers will likely enjoy the most.
Despite the fact that the book is largely encouraging in its nature and contents, I found a great deal that was poignant about the book. For one, the book is aimed mostly at older audiences, who the author figures are not fully using the strategies that would help them out and are instead frustrated and even fatalistic about memory loss and not doing all that they can to keep their mental function sharp. While the authors try to minimize the numbers of adults who suffer from dementia and other progressive and incurable diseases that affect memory, in many ways this book appears to engage in some whistling past the graveyard. Aging is a depressing experience for many people, with the loss of one's physical and mental capabilities that one has taken for granted for a lifetime, with the loss of relationships, and the loss of the energy that it takes to do what one wishes to do in life. This is a book that will hopefully of use to many people but will likely be a poignant reminder to many about the ravages of time that so many people have to deal with.
[1] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2010...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2012...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2013...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2014...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2014...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2015...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...
January 1, 2020
This is more like a blue book, or perhaps like a friendlier version of a Wikipedia entry. As someone who struggles with even simple recall, I was drawn to this title looking for ways to help alleviate my more than occasional forgetfulness.
The book gives a light overview of how memory works, highlighting several common problems that tend to come with age. Chiefly, the more information the brain is subjected to over time, the more it learns to just screen things out. This is why so many adults develop tunnel vision the older they get. On the one hand, tunnel vision is necessary and crucial for focus. You hone in on a specific goal. On the other hand, it can handicap you to your surroundings, leaving everything in a sort of fog. This book helps cut through that fog.
There's not a whole lot in here that you wouldn't see in articles on the web, or in YouTube videos. There are a few decent techniques the book goes over that are worth learning. But the real meat of the book is tucked all the way in the back, chapter 20, the simply titled "General Tips for Remembering." Most of everything up until that point is basically preamble. If you're thinking of buying or reading this book, you may be better off just copying that last chapter.
I did learn one very important tactic from this book, though. And that is, focus. I think much of my forgetfulness can be attributed to the fact that I don't give full attention that I should. It sounds like a simple fix, but it isn't. Actually, focus involves getting a good night's rest (not always something I manage despite effort), a good diet (which I have) exercise (which I do, but not enough), and daily discipline (something I can more of certainly). It was worth it to learn that important aspect in memory, and something I'll try to do in the future.
The book gives a light overview of how memory works, highlighting several common problems that tend to come with age. Chiefly, the more information the brain is subjected to over time, the more it learns to just screen things out. This is why so many adults develop tunnel vision the older they get. On the one hand, tunnel vision is necessary and crucial for focus. You hone in on a specific goal. On the other hand, it can handicap you to your surroundings, leaving everything in a sort of fog. This book helps cut through that fog.
There's not a whole lot in here that you wouldn't see in articles on the web, or in YouTube videos. There are a few decent techniques the book goes over that are worth learning. But the real meat of the book is tucked all the way in the back, chapter 20, the simply titled "General Tips for Remembering." Most of everything up until that point is basically preamble. If you're thinking of buying or reading this book, you may be better off just copying that last chapter.
I did learn one very important tactic from this book, though. And that is, focus. I think much of my forgetfulness can be attributed to the fact that I don't give full attention that I should. It sounds like a simple fix, but it isn't. Actually, focus involves getting a good night's rest (not always something I manage despite effort), a good diet (which I have) exercise (which I do, but not enough), and daily discipline (something I can more of certainly). It was worth it to learn that important aspect in memory, and something I'll try to do in the future.
March 5, 2016
Originally published in 1994 it has been updated and improved. This book explains how memory and your brain works and gives helpful hints and exercises to increase your ability to remember. Just because you are aging, it doesn't mean you need to fall into the stereotype about being totally forgetful.
September 7, 2020
قد لا اتذكر من هذا الكتاب سوى تقسيمه مكونات الذاكرة الثلاثه و استراتيجيات التذكر او بالأصح استرجاع المعلومات، تمارين الكتاب كانت سيئة لأنها ببساطه كتبت للقارئ الغربي الانجليزي بالأخص الأمريكي بدقة، ومع ذلك يمكنني القول بأنه كتاب لطيف لقراءة خفيفه او إطلاع سريع
May 8, 2021
Good, hope it helps me remember the books that I read that I forgot!
February 13, 2016
First part of the book was interesting. It talks about long-term and working memory . How information decode and recalled. Next two part talks assuming you have memory issue.
August 18, 2016
Not Bad.. But Few points are good. Useful for 50+ age group.
October 21, 2018
It just gives you a few new creative idea, nothing much. Everything is already known stuff so... It act just like a small reminder of techniques.
July 28, 2018
Quick read, intended for older readers though that didn't stop me, helpful suggestions and information.
January 15, 2020
كتاب خفيف فيه فوائد عملية لتقوية الذاكرة وتنشيطها
August 7, 2020
يناقش هذا الكتاب كيفية عمل الذاكرة، وما يطرأ عليها من تغييرات مع تقدم السن، وأهم من هذا كله: كيفية تقويتها وتنشيطها، كتاب معرفي ممتع جاء في لغة سهلة ميسرة.
August 25, 2022
كتاب شبة جيد. لم يضيف لي شيئاً لم أكن اعرفه من قبل، سوى انه ربما حدث ذاكرتي على هذه المعلومات و كيفية محاولة الاستذكار او التذكر بطرائق معينة. المترجم كان جيد و فسر لنا بعض المصطلحات، لكن لم تعجبني ترجمة الأسماء، ربما لو تم تغييرها للعربي او تم ترجمتها بطريقة ليست مثل (قاري) وماشابهه ذلك. لانه بالعربية بعضها له معنى آخر وذلك مشتت.
كتاب بهذا الكم توقعت ان يناقش فكرة "قصر الذاكرة" لكن لم اجد لها اي ذكر هنا.
بشكل عام لم أشعر اني خسرت شيئا في قراءة هذا الكتاب، وربما قد انصح به لشخص لم يعرف هذه النصائح و الخدع للتذكر.
كتاب بهذا الكم توقعت ان يناقش فكرة "قصر الذاكرة" لكن لم اجد لها اي ذكر هنا.
بشكل عام لم أشعر اني خسرت شيئا في قراءة هذا الكتاب، وربما قد انصح به لشخص لم يعرف هذه النصائح و الخدع للتذكر.
November 14, 2023
Quick tips on memory...
The old adage about losing memory with age doesn’t have to be true. That’s the premise of this book. The authors offer some reasons for potential memory loss and some tips to help combat it as one ages. Many of the tips I use in my preaching, so it was a good refresher as a communicator to help retain information and proclaim the Gospel. Would recommend for anyone who needs some reminders/tips for improving your memory.
The old adage about losing memory with age doesn’t have to be true. That’s the premise of this book. The authors offer some reasons for potential memory loss and some tips to help combat it as one ages. Many of the tips I use in my preaching, so it was a good refresher as a communicator to help retain information and proclaim the Gospel. Would recommend for anyone who needs some reminders/tips for improving your memory.
November 5, 2024
Worth the read
I am conducting a memory class for seniors and this was one of the recommended books. I found it very close to the UCLA memory training course and just reinforced things to do to improve memory. I'm 55 and I'll start using some of these techniques... Never too early!
I am conducting a memory class for seniors and this was one of the recommended books. I found it very close to the UCLA memory training course and just reinforced things to do to improve memory. I'm 55 and I'll start using some of these techniques... Never too early!
February 27, 2022
استماع. كتاب صوتي من ستوري تل.
December 19, 2022
كتاب ممل.
July 16, 2023
Practical information
Not a study of the brain but practical information for forgetfulness. It does contain information in the appendix on dementia-related illnesses.
Not a study of the brain but practical information for forgetfulness. It does contain information in the appendix on dementia-related illnesses.
September 16, 2024
لم يكن على مستوى توقعاتي
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