Physical health and lifestyle factors affect the clarity and efficiency of the brain’s functioning. For example, if a person is having trouble sleeping, they are often less able to adequately manage daily tasks and obligations. Although people may recognize such symptoms, they can be reluctant to seek assistance with them and frequently make excuses to avoid actively changing their behaviors. Similarly, many people excuse cognitive difficulties in young adults, but in older adults they label the changes as a sign of inevitable physical and mental decline.

The concept of ‘normal aging’ and the understanding of reversible or preventable cognitive disorders is not well-defined for most people. Many people have concerns about their ability to pay attention, remember, and make decisions. There are many possible reasons for these cognitive challenges, ranging from physical illness, sleep disturbance, and emotional distress to lifestyle factors such as exercise and eating habits. With more people living into their seventies and eighties, staying active, and choosing to remain longer in the workplace, it is essential to learn how aging can be met with  anticipation and adaptation rather than passivity and hopelessness. There is also a fair amount of misinformation about diagnosing and treating cognitive problems. A thorough and evidence-based, in-person evaluation is the cornerstone of Z Psychology’s Services. This provides a means to properly assess an individual’s cognitive and emotional state and results in factual input regarding expectations about how we age.  

Collaboration between health care providers, such as physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, psychologists, and therapists is a multidisciplinary approach to guide the patient to improve their functioning. Education regarding how the brain works along with resources for further understanding of diagnosis and treatment of brain dysfunction is essential to a care plan. It is important to determine our baseline functioning to know how to adapt to current and future situations. If we realize adjustments can be made to better navigate aging, we might use this information to enhance our experience.