Tag: Dementia

Improving brain power

June 20, 2026

Did you know that you can increase your mental ability with an app or a pill? That’s what they tell you about on the TV commercials. I am getting tired of companies pushing medicines, supplements, and phone applications to fix situations we should see a doctor about.

Last year, I had been trying one of the over-the-counter supplements to aid memory, and it was not working. I was concerned about Alzheimer’s or dementia and decided to ask my doctor to determine if it was what is expected for my age. After a few tests, I was given a prescription that works for age-related memory loss.

There are prescription drugs that a neurologist can prescribe for this type of situation. I’ve been on one of these and have had significant improvement. Another way to benefit your brain is by playing games such as Sudoku, reading and writing, and practicing mind-expanding exercises.

One of these ads I have seen promotes an app that helps you build your vocabulary. Put the phone down and pick up a book. Call a friend or family member and have a nice mind-expanding conversation. I have always enjoyed all these activities. I sat in the break room at work for lunch and discussed current events with some fellow workers.

Some of my aunts were constantly on their phones talking to each other in the days when phones had cords and were attached to wires in the wall of your house. These ladies were the ones who kept the rest of the family in the loop better than social media ever has.

Take a walk with a friend and discuss problems with children, spouses, or even in-laws. I remember how many of us have had mental health problems since the shutdowns and quarantines of the COVID-19 pandemic. I’ve lived long enough to see all types of fads and supplements that were supposed to work but seldom did.

Just because they sell it on TV does not mean that it will work for you or that it is worth what they want you to pay for it. You know how much companies pay for the advertising that they use to convince you that you need that app or whatever they are selling.

I spent a short period of time in marketing and over twenty years in sales. My time in purchasing taught me that I should not trust everything that those who want my money tell me. Have you noticed how many people who want to sell you something call themselves influencers?

You are the one who should decide if you want to be influenced into buying, using, or doing anything. You have a brain, use it to make decisions for yourself, and stop believing the words of others until you check to be sure they know what they are talking about.

©Copyright 2026 by Charles Kensinger

Would I lie to you?

January 2, 2023

When I saw this game show advertised on television, my first thought was, “Yes, you would if you thought you could get away with it.” If you are a politician, the answer is “of course”.

A local attorney says that he would not lie to you. He might tell you things that you do not wish to hear, but he will not lie to you. Falsehood is at epidemic proportions. There is no vaccine to prevent it. There is not a medication that will help those who seem to be infected with it.

The best of us do it. We even have a holiday to celebrate it and we call it April Fool’s Day. It is celebrated on April the first. Playing jokes on others is lying. Yes, we all do it. The problem is knowing when to tell the truth and when a lie is the kinder alternative.

Gentlemen do not tell your wife that it isn’t the dress when she asks if it makes her look fat. Many of us have problems with self-image. That statement will not help. I always tell my wife that she is beautiful in my eyes. She has never agreed with me. It is the truth whether she accepts it or not.

I recently finished a book that discussed dealing with those who have lost touch with reality. This may be due to dementia or mental illness. Either way, the kind thing to do is to not confront someone with the straight truth. If they ask where they are and you know the answer will upset them, tell the truth in love. You are where you need to be right now.

When will their spouse come to see them? Soon is an answer that should work. Often the loved one is the one they asked the question of. It hurts that they don’t recognize you, but it may be kinder than reminding them they have forgotten.

My memory has never been perfect. I have many techniques I use to aid it. One is asking the person I am talking to what the word I am trying to think of is. Do not finish my sentence for me. Paul tells us that love is patient and kind. Being patient is kindness.

There are hundreds of other situations where the truth is not the best policy. A child may ask where Grandma has gone after she has died. If you don’t believe in Heaven or do not think she could possibly be admitted, tell the youngster that she is far away, and they should see them again. If they ask when say it will be a long time.

The answer to my question is yes. I would lie to you. If I thought the truth would hurt. I try not to lie to you for selfish reasons. Sometimes I even fail at that.

©Copyright 2023 by Charles Kensinger