The name of the person you just met seems to have vanished into the ether. At the corner store, you were supposed to get bananas, milk—now what was that third thing? These memory bumps have entered the popular vocabulary as “senior moments.”

Some changes in the way memory works are a normal part of aging,” writes Dr. Bruce Robinson of Sarasota Memorial Hospital, on the Web site Infoaging.org. For example, he notes, “Memory for new information begins to slip in middle age.” Scientists, however, have found that older human “dogs” can learn new tricks, although they may learn a little more slowly. 

Most memory gaffes are related to lack of attention, or other environmental factors like fatigue, stress, even hunger. If we want to sustain or strengthen our memory and reduce the incidence of senior moments as we age, we have to work at it. 

Click here for Five Key Tips for “Staying Sharp.”