Greetings! With my 79th birthday a mere matter of days in the future, I offer some data points on the subject of aging, courtesy of Australia's Queensland Brain Institute.
As we age, our speed of cognition naturally declines. Not surprisingly, one study showed that a 20 year old is 75% faster than a 75 year-old at substituting symbols for numbers. Interestingly, language, vocabulary and verbal skills remain largely unchanged (though the time it takes to retrieve a particular word may decline). Memories formed many years ago remain quite stable, but forming new memories can be difficult (e.g. recalling a phone number when making a call). Working memory may be particularly affected; although the ability to focus on a single task is largely unchanged, there may be increased difficulty when multitasking or switching attention.
Looking at these changes a pattern emerges: Although our general knowledge (the ability to use skills and knowledge) are mostly unaffected, our ability to think on the fly and solve new problems suffers.
To my friends, family, fellow IE-CAMFT members and caregivers (both current and future): I thank you for your understanding that this care receiver may need a bit of extra time to be myself. Whether that means you may need to take a deep breath, slow it down or find your center, I thank you for your patience.
It has been an honor and pleasure to be your president this past year, and I look forward to being a part of IE-CAMFT's future as a volunteer on the IE-CAMFT board. You can be part of the board by attending a meeting which generally takes place after the monthly CE offerings (currently online). I'm looking forward to working with Ilse Aerts, MS, LMFT, LPCC, CCTP, the IE-CAMFT membership committee chairman on a project. Join me!
I look forward to participating in the CE opportunities offered by our chapter and taking advantage of the ON DEMAND presentations which can be found online, not to mention joining monthly board meetings.
I love being part of IE-CAMFT. It makes me feel that I'm part of a bigger picture, and that keeps me hopeful!
Warmly,
Paul Velen, MS, LMFT
Nothing done for another is wasted
