A Study on Changes in the Types of Memory Functions in the Elderly

Abstract

Memory is vital for day to day functions of all the individuals. As we age, our ability to remember and recall events / things changes. This is the process of ageing. When memory deteriorates in old age, it is hard for the people to adapt to the changes and they get emotionally disturbed. Our brain is divided into four pair of lobes and one among them is Temporal lobes. Temporal lobes influences memory and emotions. When memory is disturbed, emotions also get disturbed which in turn aggravates the cognitive decline. These memory disturbances are considered to be normal in old age. Not just memory, the ability to learn also changes with the increase in age and people would complain of memory disturbances, difficulty in doing their routine due to forgetfulness, difficulty in recalling names, phone numbers, etc. So, the aim was to study the types of memory functions in elderly. 16 elderly persons of whom 10 were male and 6 were female. They were referred for Neuropsychological assessment for memory disturbance, difficulty in concentration, forgetfulness, vague fear, sleep disturbance, etc. These patients underwent a battery of neuropsychological tests to assess their cognitive functions and personality. Results reveal that 75% had above average memory, 19% had average high memory and only 6% had average low memory. All the people had no disturbance of the Percepto- motor function while 56% had difficulty in incidental recall. It was found that semantic memory was good in all the elderly people. And all of them were oriented to time, place and persons. In logical memory, 44% had difficulty in recalling the stories which were presented to them orally. Visual memory was found to be severely impaired in 13% of the elderly people. 69% of the elderly people had impairment in Verbal retentivity. Overall, 63% of the elderly people had State anxiety and 94% of them had Trait anxiety. 85% of the elders had suppression of anger while 57% of them expressed their anger inappropriately.