“Distraction, Not Dementia” by Cynthia Friedlob

Illustration: A.I. by Cynthia Friedlob

Distraction, Not Dementia

by Cynthia Friedlob
EngAGE Websites & Social Media Manager

I made a shockingly dumb mistake at work the other day. Fortunately, it didn’t cause a problem for anyone except me. But I was baffled. What in the world had I been thinking when I did it? Had I been thinking at all? The mistake was discovered by a much younger co-worker who quite possibly might have wondered if the old girl was past her “sell by” date. Worst of all, that same thought occurred to me.

But I dismissed it. The reason I was not thrown into despair by the absurdity of what I’d done is that there were factors other than brain failure to consider.

When younger people make mistakes, they don’t immediately assume that there is a serious medical problem with their brains, but for older people, there’s often a tendency to leap to that conclusion. It is a legitimate concern, of course. The CDC estimates that about 5.6 million people in the U.S. aged 65 and older have Alzheimer’s Disease or related dementias, which is about 10% of that population, a substantial number.

It’s also been well documented that age correlates with some reduced brain function for all of us. However, every “senior moment” is not a harbinger of doom. Our pervasive focus on that fear means that we often overlook a less dire but still significant problem that affects our mental capabilities: distraction.

dis·trac·tion (noun):

1. a thing that prevents someone from giving full attention to something else

2. extreme agitation of the mind or emotions

While the temptation is to say that distraction is a problem for the young with their unshakeable attachment to their phones and constant stimulation from social media, older people are faced with distraction that affects our ability to focus, too. I believe that the two most common causes are lack of sleep and “overwhelm.”

Lack of sleep

The National Institutes of Health has reported that insomnia increases with age, with up to 50% of older adults in the U.S. reporting symptoms. Older people generally take more medications than younger people, and some of those drugs can affect sleep quality. Conditions like restless leg syndrome and sleep apnea increase with age. Tackling an illness of any kind can disrupt sleep patterns. Older people also usually get less REM sleep, the type of deep sleep that is restorative. Even our circadian rhythms are likely to change as we age.

In addition to physiological causes of insomnia, there are other possible sources related to life stresses such as caretaking or loss of a spouse or partner; financial insecurity; relocating, either by choice or necessity; and feelings of isolation, a problem of epic proportions in our society.

Whatever the reasons for our lack of sleep, the results are well-known to all of us: low energy, a short attention span, and foggy thinking that leads to poor decisions.

Overwhelm

Those same life stresses can get in the way of focusing on what we’re doing in the moment, even with a good night’s sleep. They contribute to the generalized feeling of overwhelm that is the bane of modern life. Also, a lot of this feeling has to do with technology.

My generation was raised on three television networks, a daily newspaper or two, a few radio channels, and landlines that limited us to three minutes for long distance calls or we’d go into debt from the extra charges. If someone called us and we weren’t at home, they’d call again. We had limited choices about all of this and accepted that reality.

But we believed that having more choices would make life better. In some cases, that’s true. However, we’ve discovered that having to make too many decisions amid too many choices can be overwhelming. No wonder. In 2019, an article in Forbes reported that the average adult consumes five times more information every day than their counterpart fifty years ago.

We have access to cable and streaming networks offering so many shows that most of us can’t keep track of them. Online shopping is very convenient, but the many choices can make decisions difficult for even the most mundane items. It’s helpful to be able to get the latest news immediately by hopping online, but not if it sucks us into hours of doomscrolling. We used to get our news only a few times a day; now it’s blaring at us in a 24-hour cycle, even though much of the blaring content is repetitive or filler material.

I see far more ads in an hour online than I would have seen watching an hour of television when I was younger. Most annoying are the ads that litter a website with blinking images and videos playing off to the side as I try to read. Banner ads flash below and above. Pop-ups intrude, asking me to sign up for a mailing list or take advantage of an offer. Clickbait links clutter the bottom of the page, surprisingly even on credible news sites. Sometimes the experience of trying to read an article or post doesn’t feel worth the effort.

On social media, there’s an extra layer of mind-numbing distraction caused by the way those interactive technologies function. Studies have been done, films have been made, and books have been written about how our brains have been changed by overexposure to social media: our attention span has been reduced. We are manipulated by those sites which have as their goal keeping us scrolling, feeding us an unending diet of ads and bite sized bits of information that take our attention away from the rest of life. We may do our best to extract the benefits from what we’re offered (and there may be benefits even beyond convenience and connectivity), but it’s a constant battle to avoid a quasi-hypnotic, usually agitated state.

For many older people, simply adapting to technological change has been a challenge. I adapted years ago, reluctantly, because it was required by my job as a writer. Today, I enjoy the benefits that change has offered, including providing me with an encore career as a social media manager. But I don’t delude myself into thinking that there hasn’t been a price, for me and for everyone. In the past, we weren’t bombarded with non-stop distracting electronic stimuli, and now we are. That doesn’t mean our brains can easily adjust. Perhaps we’ll find out that they can’t adjust at all.

So, returning to my mistake at work, when I think of what was going on at the time it happened, I’m convinced that what contributed to my decision-making ability falling to an unacceptably low level was several nights of insomnia, temporary extra work pressures, and not taking enough breaks from my online life.

Yes, it’s important to pay attention to our mental health, including being aware of symptoms that need to be checked more closely by a doctor. But being aware doesn’t mean automatically assuming the worst if there’s a blip in our memory or a slip up in our decision-making. It means that first we should find ways to get enough sleep, cope with stress, and balance our real life with our online activities. Take a walk. Visit a friend. Write a story. Make art or play music. Water the plants. Reconnect with the world offline. Give your brain a rest. And try not to get distracted.


Cynthia Friedlob is the Websites & Social Media Manager for EngAGE and was a host of the former Experience Talks Radio Show. She is the author of In Praise of the Smaller Life: a journal of memories and musings, an interactive journal. Before joining EngAGE, she was a writer for many years in children’s television and family feature films. Prior to that, she was a vocalist in a jazz trio. She’s been a visual artist for over thirty years. She enjoys her creative, smaller life.

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Welcome to the Team: Jay Tate-Lammert

EngAGE welcomes Jay Tate-Lammert, Program Director at El Verano Senior Apartments in Anaheim, CA.

Jay has over ten years of experience in social services ranging from mental health counseling to relationship coaching. She studied Psychology at Rhodes College and obtained her Masters in Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis. Most recently, she became a certified behavioral health coach. In her private life, she enjoys roller skating with her son, walks with her three dogs, and karaoke on a night out. She looks forward to more time on the beach after moving this year from Texas to California.

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Programming Highlights: Summer 2023

Click here to see programming highlights in arts, wellness, lifelong learning, and intergenerational experiences from some of our communities in California and Oregon!


EngAGE takes a whole-person approach to creative, healthy living by providing high-quality arts, wellness, and lifelong learning programs to thousands of residents of all ages in affordable housing communities in California and Oregon.

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Announcing Our New Website!

engageforlife.org


We are excited to invite you to visit our new EngAGE website which reflects our mission through both its content and its new location.

EngAGE takes a whole-person approach to creative, healthy living by providing high-quality arts, wellness, and lifelong learning programs to thousands of residents of all ages in affordable housing communities.


engagenw.org


In addition to our work in California, EngAGE Northwest serves communities in Oregon, including a number of Community for All Ages properties.

We create communities that are welcoming, inclusive, and stimulating.


Follow us on social media to stay informed about the work we are proud and privileged to do. And please click here to make an online donation or send a check!

Thank you for supporting EngAGE!

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BSAC vs. Piedmont in Third Chair Volleyball Tournament

In July, Piedmont hosted the third installment of the Chair Volleyball Tournament with Burbank Senior Artists Colony, organized by EngAGE Program Director Arnold and long time Team Coach Jack.

The afternoon began with some mixed team warm-ups with players from both the Burbank team (green shirts) and Piedmont team (purple shirts).

At 2 p.m. sharp, Piedmont Program Director Arnold opened the games and welcomed all participants and guests. Visiting Burbank team coach Dawn said a few words, and coach Jack explained the rules. A coin toss determined which team started on which side, and the games began!

After four very exciting rounds, the Burbank team won this third tournament 3 to 1. Congratulations to team BSAC!

At the conclusion of the official games, a few audience members then joined some players to play a few more friendly mixed team games while Piedmont volunteers prepared delicious food provided by EngAGE.

Thanks to Piedmont residents Helena and Nicholas for providing a garden tour for the BSAC visitors.

And thanks to all the Piedmont volunteers who helped with serving the food and the cleanup afterwards. You are a huge reason why these events run so smoothly.

Thank you also to coach Jack for keeping the games organized and fair.

And, of course, a big thank you to all the Piedmont and Burbank players and their cheerleading teams for being such good sports and an enthusiastic audience. These kinds of friendly competitions foster friendships that go beyond competitiveness. Everyone had a great time!

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Magnolia@Highland: Music Boxes

Members of the Artists Roundtable at Magnolia@Highland in San Bernardino, CA, enjoy working on elaborate projects that take a considerable investment of time to complete. They spent five months on this one!

JANUARY and FEBRUARY: Art Instructor Alma’s fond memory of her childhood music box inspired her to present this project, which the artists embraced. They had their own fond memories! Step one was creating and sculpting designs with air-dry clay to use as decorations.

MARCH: All decorations had been affixed to the boxes and painting began!

APRIL: Painting continued. While working on this project, the artists reflected on how a tiny music box brought so many meaningful memories in their younger years and would continue to do so now.

MAY: The musical mechanisms were added to the boxes and finishing touches were completed. The artists enjoyed displaying their work for all to appreciate. Some of the beautiful boxes were gifted to family members or special friends.

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EngAGE Staff Appreciation Event

Thanks to the EngAGE Leadership Team, we all gathered in person last month for the first time since 2019 for a full day of conversation and team-building! We shared a movement session led by Liv, our Intergenerational Program Director; small group conversations about our memorable experiences on the job; and, after a tasty lunch on the patio, a presentation by motivational speaker Wendy Massey. Afterwards, many of us went on to dinner and dancing at a local restaurant with entertainment provided by the Chris Ross Band. After four years of meeting only on Zoom, it was great fun to see each other face-to-face! Click here to see an album of photos from the event.

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