Memory Lapses are Common in Old Adults
Researchers say that memory lapses are common in older adults. More than 60 percent of adults face at-the-tip-of-the tongue moments.
For the study, researchers from New University of Michigan recruited some 105 adults between ages 65 and 92. The participants were asked to make a check-list of all the errors they made in the last 24 hours, more than half of the participants admitted that most of the errors were caused due to their absent-mindedness.
According to the researchers, young adults do better than old adults in memory tests in a lab. But, older adults usually do better than young people in real-world settings because they keep a track of their appointments with the help of reminders, calendars or note-pads.
"Right now, many training programs focus on the age differences in memory and thinking that we see in laboratory studies. However, those may not translate to the performance failures that are most common in everyday life," said lead author Cindy Lustig, UM psychology professor.
"When we looked at how people performed on standard laboratory tests, we found the usual age differences. People in their 80s and 90s performed worse than those in their 60s and early 70s," she said.
"We wanted to identify which errors still occur despite changes people might be making in their environment and routine. That's where it may be especially important to change the person," Lustig said. "Everybody forgets. However, our findings suggest that certain types of memory errors may be especially important to monitor for increases, which then should be discussed with a clinician."
The study is published in the journal Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition.
Number of old adults is increasing throughout the world. Estimates by World health Organization (WHO) say that by 2050, about 2 billion people will be 60-years or older.
Previous research has suggested that taking part in everyday activities can help older adults avoid cognitive decline and memory lapses. Older adults who do well in verbal ability tests are less likely to report memory lapses.