Memory fitness program improves memory abilities of oldest adults

October, 2011

A six-week memory fitness program offered to older adults helped improve their ability to recognize and recall words.

In a study involving 115 seniors (average age 81), those who participated in a six-week, 12-session memory training program significantly improved their verbal memory. 15-20 seniors participated in each hour-long class, which included explanations of how memory works, quick strategies for remembering names, faces and numbers, basic memory strategies such as linking ideas and creating visual images, and information on a healthy lifestyle for protecting and maintaining memory.

Most of the study participants were women, Caucasian and had attained a college degree or higher level of education.

Reference: 

[2491] Miller, K. J., Siddarth P., Gaines J. M., Parrish J. M., Ercoli L. M., Marx K., et al.
(2011).  The Memory Fitness Program.
American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. 1 - 1.

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