How to handle your mother’s menopausal memory lapses

Your mother is changing. Literally going through a little thing called “the change,” also known as menopause. Remember how confusing puberty was? Well this is puberty in reverse, and it’s weirder. Instead of growing hair in your armpits, now it’s growing on your face. Forget tampons; pick up a box of underwear pads for urinary incontinence instead.

Sometimes your mom may seem like a different person; moody, tired, and irritable. It isn’t entirely her fault. During menopause, the production of estrogen, a hormone that stimulates many other chemicals, is greatly reduced and some not-so-fun symptoms can appear. One side effect could prove to be problems with cognition and memory. Below you can find a list with some suggestions of how to handle your mother if she’s experiencing memory loss.

Get educated.

If you’re mother is displaying signs of memory loss, chances are she will have other symptoms. Prepare yourself for the worst. Make sure she’s doing her homework, too.

Encourage her.

Your mom has always been your biggest supporter; it’s time to return the favor in her hour of need. Encourage her to explore many treatments, at her doctor’s consent. Many middle-aged women fall into a depression because they feel they are obsolete; not your mom!

Remind her about your birthday.

And any other special dates coming up. Don’t set a trap for your mom to fall into her forgetfulness. You haven’t seen tears like menopausal tears.

Do the shopping once in a while.

Put your knowledge of healthy, estrogen boosting foods to good use and go to the grocery store for your mom. Not only will she be thrilled, she will have one less thing to stress about. Stress is awful for hormone balance and a healthy mind.

Set an example.

She needs to exercise. It’s more important than ever. Not only for maximizing cognitive skills, but for prevention of other potential complications like osteoporosis. It wouldn’t hurt for you to make good habits early, either.

Have a play date.

An easy way to keep in top mental shape is to exercise your brain. Ask your mom to work a crossword puzzle or to play a (nonviolent) videogame.

Send her to bed.

Quality sleep is an important time for your brain to rest. If the brain doesn’t get the rest it needs, it will not function well. If she has trouble sleeping, take her some chamomile tea, or warm milk contains a sleep inducing chemical called tryptophan.

Recommendation

Always visit your doctor if you are experiencing post-menopausal bleeding, however heavy or light the bleed is, but in preparation for such bleeding, always carry sanitary products with you. Follow this link to find out more about post-menopausal bleeding and how you can treat it.