VUE

seemed to have an effect was vitamin E. I tell my patients who prefer a more holistic approach to their memory that if they're going to take any supplement, their best bet is a vitamin E regimen," Dr. DeNiro said. As for the brain training apps, Dr. DeNiro says that while there haven't been studies proving any specific app will help with memory, the logic of the apps is consistent with what we already know about the brain. "Preserving memory is a matter of continually challenging yourself, learning, forming new connections and exercising your brain." Over the course of our conversation, it became clear to me that when it comes to matters of the brain, you either use it or risk losing it in the "great decluttering" that begins in your 30s. "e bigger piece of the puzzle is being socially active. Doing activities you enjoy, having hobbies and spending time with friends and family. All of these things help preserve memory, prevent memory loss and slow the process for people who are experiencing memory issues," Dr. DeNiro said. I heard this sentiment reiterated when I spoke with Terri Katz, MD, Geriatrician and co-founder of NEXT: Because Memory Matters. Dr. Katz works alongside her partners Lisa Fedder, MSW, LCSW, LCADC and Sandra Bell-McGinty, PhD, to provide comprehensive care to patients that are already struggling with memory loss. "Even something as simple as eating dinner with someone rather than eating alone or having someone sit across from you and be there to smile at, look at, and have a conversation with can affect the outcome of any patient. ese little things help prevent the onset of depression and apathy, both of which oen accompany the illnesses we treat," Dr. Katz said. "While there is no hard evidence on whether social connection does help memory, there is a lot of empirical data to suggest that it does." Much of the field of memory is like this—studies suggesting that one thing or another will improve cognitive function or help with memory loss, but there isn't a ton of hard evidence out there. When it comes to memory, much of what we know is based on the testimonies of patients, their caretakers and physicians like DeNiro and Katz. "Over the course of history, there have been so many things doctors have pushed people to do or take because one study came out saying it's effective, and then five years later another study comes out proving it was actually a detrimental treatment. But the things we've been discussing about memory, whether it's a vitamin E regimen, a healthy diet, or maintaining social connection, really cannot do harm," Dr. Katz explained. I find it highly unlikely, and I'm sure Drs. DeNiro and Katz agree, that in five years we'll be reading a study about how all that time we spent eating healthy, getting enough sleep, fostering our intellectual pursuits and being social with one another was a complete and total waste of our time. Will these habits improve our memories? Perhaps. But shouldn't we be doing them anyway? Preserving memory is a matter of continually challenging yourself, learning, forming new connections and exercising your brain. " " 2 2 5 R I V E R S T, H O B O K E N , N J 0 7 0 3 0 2 0 1 2 5 3 2 5 0 0 • H A L I FA X H O B O K E N . C O M AT W H O T E L H O B O K E N P R I VAT E D I N I N G AVA I L A B L E

• Cover