The Lucknow Sentinel, 1990-11-07, Page 14The''Senior Oirktht Larcknow Central' Public School were wwneirs sit
the regional Cross Country- meet hdd °recently; in
Members of the team hielade back row, left to ,.might, Dawne Rhody,
Heather :Ashes:and Brendle ie Morrison. Front row,, T MAW mid
Amy Sutherland. (Pat Liviiigston photo)
Study finds memory does. not
need to deteriorate with age
Sy John Eba*ee
yclwlogisis at the University of
%clone have found that mamotry
doesn't always decline with age,
Older people oftent1a n their
money is worse .than it .really
the reseatchers found; at its
extreme, tink mgthiscouldbecuine
a self-fulfilling prophecy. In ad-
drtion, it's possible to 'exercise'
one's memory by doing intellectual
tasks, they bound. •.
Professors David JIultschand
Huger Dixon also /Mild thatheal-
thy elderly peeple geneirolly per-
form some memory tasks boner
than college ' age students, some
tasks worse, and other .tasks just us
well, -
Their studies',involving more than.
300 elderly volunteers, ASO reveal
tremendous differences in the
• memory capacity of different in-
`dividtmis. "Older° persons are not all
alike." says Hultsch,
Igor example, many aging doctors.:
and executives routinely .perform
.extremely demanding tasks. "It's
simply -not the case that as you get
older your memory, inevitably
declines," Hultsch says.
He adds that most 'older people
retain the 4 ability to retrieve facts.
"Very often, 'they'lldo better than
younger ° people on Trivial, Pur-
suit -type tests." ,
'In addition, most older people
match younger .people at remem-
bering information they've just
looked up, such as; telephone: num-
exwe megeo&
g2zferveitael. wedv4P4
mad
cs8'.2ele°
0.4.0 eilAsit4v aha' ooa uxeeZa"Cioia `.
to Joao, air r.1i•22�ers, to 6vieexi"e "ear
boat s Ara/ WiesAiZater4, Wist,'.e 8a us,
ttaiie ad ' "air mast inernarat9ee
gi4aotas,'/ ealenas as a a/ de. or
"% oats cours444 ede to rim
Ta lave/mei/la09ur 41,14ssmoa oats
i:3/inas edercaA azc Oeeam ,e90
e ,~40 /tame cake h sa,Cs ed e:et our
elate Am '8124 Wie0V4tieeitati, emiff
���1f3 sed ek4 is ✓refleIniee,f/91
g. Q Jaw, ire Maallsola
479r9-J8,�'.P
\ . ,
bels. However, they're more prone
forgetting what was on their
mind i# they re interrupted.*
Hultsch says eltletiy people also
tend to hrave more problems recal-
ling information relevant to a
sperm time and place, such as the
lead story iii yesterday's newspaper.
But he emphasis the these
problems aren't universal for
some seniors, the amount of
memo Loss is negligible.
Hultscht.and Dixon are now trying
tit figure out what accounts for the
differencea between older in,
dividuals,"by exploring "tib factors
associated with both good .and,
not -so -good perfomiancee
For example, they're examining
the relationships between how _elder
people perceive -their own
memories, how actively they exer-
cise their memories, and their objec-
. tive performances on various
memory tests.
So far, they've. discovered that
most' elderly people ' believe their
memories are worsethan they really
are. 'We heard'manypeople, say
their memory was terrible when it
really wasn't all that bad: com-
ments Hultsch•
More significantly,, those who
held' the highest` opinion of their
memories tended to fare the best on
memory tests.
The researchers ,also found that
people who participate in a lot of
mentally demanding activities, such
as reading, playing: chess or doing
crossword pug, ply perform
better on tests than time who have
Noir doing these sorts o}f� tthisgs.."�
`?t4P Pwsible. therefore, that
memory loss is a wit -fulfilling
ply. Yt weld be that people
who lack confidence in their
memory are rewoving ,ihcroselves
from situations', involving 'vigorous
"mental exercise", argues Hultsch,.
Whist
evidence inay, in turn; be
causing a real loss,rrt IMMO.
Be cautions, however, that the
opposhe could be happening.
"'We're now trying to pinpoint
exactly what comms first. the
decline in =emery performance, or
the belief that memory is declining
and the subsequeqwithdrawat from
activities.
Funding for this research comes
from the Social Sciences and;
`Humanities Research Council, the
Natural Sciences. and Engineering
Research Council and the U.S.
National Institute On Aging
--(Canadian Science News)
MOST MEN ARE TAUGHT..
- To appreciate solitude by:living in
a city..
- To value their health only after
theyhave lost it-
,: The
t.--.The meaning cif friends *hen .they
_
have been without thein,
You and your
"green" house
Do you leave lights on in your
house when you go out? Open
windows during the winter to get
fresh air? Or leave water running
while brushing your teeth?
Your house probably is not as
"green" as it could be. By learning
a few simple ways to conserve, you
can help our planet every day at
home and at work.
Here are 14 easy tips about ener-
gy efficiency you can practice every
day. You will be sure to have one
of the "greenest" houses on the'
block if you follow these tips. If
everyone did, imagine -,the dif-
ference we would make.
Energy Efficiency
Turn off all lights, heaters and
fans when you are not using them,
or before going out. If you are
concerned about home security, put
a few lights on timers. This saves
energy, and actually looks more
authentic than leaving one light on
in the same room all the time.
Install dimmer switches on
household lights, and replace
regular lights bulbs with energy-
efficient products such as compact
fluorescents. Initially they may be
more expensive, but they last ten
times longer than conventional
bulbs and save energy dollars.
Upgrade your home's insulation
to the highest levels. Don't forget to
insulate your hot water heater and
pipes, too. Because less energy is
being consumed and produced, this
will`save on 'heating bills and help
the environment at the same time.
Guard your house against air
leakage by sealing windows and
doors with ' caulking and
weatherstripping. Don't forget to
check the existing 'caulking and
weatherstripping for leaks. Watch
for other areas where air leakage
can occur, such as up the chimney
of a fireplace. Consider installing
high -efficiency windows when
replacing old windows to increase
your energy savings.
Use a ceiling fan instead of an air
conditioner.. If it's absolutely neces-
sary to use an air conditioner, set
the thermostat at 25 degrees C (77
degrees F) or higher.
Install plug guards to help reduce
household drafts. Also, remember to
use socket insulators behind light
switches on outside walls -- it will
reduce airleakage. •
Keep your furnace in tip-top
shape by cleaning or replace the air
filter once a month.
Reduce your energy consumption
by installing a programmable ther-
mostat, which automatically turns
the heat down when it's not needed,
Lower 'the temperature of your
hot water tank, and wash clothes in
cold water whenever possible. Your
clothes will last longer and you'll
save money.
Wash clothes, water your lawn
and run the dishwasher in off-peak
hours. This- reduces the overall
stress on water reserves and spreads
out the demand for energy more
evenly.
If your area by-laws permit it, put
up a clothes line in your backyard.
Not only are you saving money on
energy bills, but you're helping the
environment.
When buying appliances, choose
the most efficient one that meets
your needs. Check the appliance's
Energuide label; which indicates its
electricity consumption per month.
The lower the Energuide rating, the
more efficient the appliance.
It takes about 2 to 4 hours to
preheat your car's engine. A car
plugged in all night wastes energy.
Install a timer to power the block
heater only when necessary.
Turn off the television, stereo and
radio when you're not using them.
For more information on energy
conservation, write to Energy
Mines and Resources Canada Com-
munications Branch at 580 Booth
Street in Ottawa, Ontario, K1A
OE4.
Environment Canada also has
information on what you can do for
the environment. Contact the In-
quiry Centre at 351 St. Joseph
Blvd. in Hull, Quebec, K1A OH3,