Memory loss is as inevitable as wrinkles, but it has an impact that goes well beyond that of aging skin. It generally hits later in life and it can be debilitating.

That’s why, over the next decade or so, says David Foot, author and a professor of economics at the University of Toronto, we can expect the same attention to be lavished on memory loss as has been directed toward other signs of aging.

“I suspect we might see all sorts of legitimate and not so legitimate ways to deal with it,” says Foot, whose Boom, Bust and Echo series of books reflect his research on the relationship between economics and demographics. “It could end up being an interesting time.”

Obviously, not everyone is going to suffer from dementia, although Alzheimer’s disease, which is a form of dementia, is expected to affect 750,000 Canadians by the year 2031. All people over the age of 60, however, will suffer some memory loss as they age, says Cheryl Grady, senior scientist at the Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest Centre in Toronto.

The question is: how much memory loss will be accepted by the generation accustomed to control at all costs?

Episodic memory — the memory of events or things that have happened — is the most common form of memory to become diluted with age, Grady says: “If you get older and find you can’t remember what you had for dinner the night before, or that you were supposed to meet with somebody, that’s typical. It happens to everybody.”

Most of us can cope with this type of memory loss pretty well, she says. If, however, memory lapses are of the semantic mode (gaps in general knowledge), frequent and/or cause a serious disruption to daily life, it might well be time to see a doctor, she says. Testing can reveal just how “normal” your decline in memory is.

In many cases, seeing a doctor can help put memory missteps in perspective, says Grady: “I think boomers tend to be anxious about these types of things when they don’t need to be. A doctor can reassure you.”

Most of us, she points out, will simply experience a decline in memory as we get older, without any serious disease to blame for it. To counteract this more typical form of memory loss, experts suggest the same thing they’ve been touting for years to keep everything running smoothly: good nutrition and exercise — both physical and mental.

“The old belief of ‘sound mind and sound body’ that has been around since at least Aristotelian times holds true,” says Chip Scialfa, a psychology professor at the University of Calgary who studies aging. He says a growing body of research shows cardiovascular exercise and strength conditioning affect cognitive functions such as memory and attentiveness, along with mood.

However, this year’s Heart & Stroke Foundation report on health found that boomers are fatter, less active and more likely to smoke than their parents. In other words, if you think your old auntie has memory problems, you haven’t seen anything yet.

Pharmaceutical companies are working to develop treatments to improve memory function, and money is pouring into research aimed at understanding just what affects memory at different stages of life. But the payoff from this research will benefit the children of the boomers, at best. Brain health starts when one is young, Grady says.

But there are steps that can be taken to keep the brain in top condition, which ultimately will help memory. Proper nutrition, exercise and even learning new skills — how to play bridge or speak another language — are all good for the brain, Scialfa says: “A struggle to learn something new engages neural networks that are new, causes new pathways to be generated and old pathways to be enforced.”

Scialfa started learning how to play the piano three years ago. It’s been a struggle, he says, but he’s confident it is worthwhile.

Things you can do include:

> Eat well. Although there aren’t yet any large-scale studies that directly correlate diet and brain health, early research indicates that antioxidants, which are found in fruits and vegetables, can improve overall brain health, while substances recognized as bad for the heart — trans fats, for example — are probably just as bad for the brain.

@page_break@> Engage the body. It’s never too late to start exercising. High-tech imagery shows that cardio activities, in particular, make for a more active brain.

> Engage the mind. Brain bogglers, crossword puzzles and learning new skills are all helpful when it comes to improving memory. “About the best advice you can give is ‘get out there and do things’,” says Scialfa. “Divide your day into diverse mental activities that force you to stretch a bit.” IE