Majority of Canadian boomers have memory loss: poll

TORONTO (Reuters Life!) - Six in 10 Canadian baby boomers have experienced a mild form of memory decline in the past year, according to a survey.

"We do know that the brain, like any other organ, deteriorates with age," Nathan Herrmann, head of geriatric psychiatry at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, said in an interview about the study of people aged 40 to 60.

"And we believe that memory function and other areas of cognitive functioning as well, decline with aging."

In the survey, 58 percent of the respondents, who have not been diagnosed with any form of dementia, reported symptoms of a disorder called Age Associated Memory Impairment (AAMI).

The survey of 1,390 adults, commissioned by the Alzheimer's Foundation for Caregiving in Canada, was conducted by the pollster IPSOS in June and released on Wednesday.

AAMI, a common condition characterized by short-term memory problems usually over the age of 50, is believed to result from biological and chemical changes in the aging brain as well as a general shrinkage of brain volume, the foundation said.

"This is not a pathological condition or a disease," said Herrmann. "It's something that people are going to experience and the important thing is to try and differentiate that from more sinister conditions, more malignant conditions that may go on to develop dementia."

Of those polled, the most common examples of memory loss were misplacing items such as keys and glasses (35 percent) and forgetting people's names (34 percent).

The survey, which included an additional 349 Alzheimer's caregivers, found that people who work with patients who suffer from dementia are more aware of their own memory loss, with 76 percent concerned about forgetting things.

While 85 percent of respondents said they had never heard of AAMI, four in 10 said they would be very likely to take measures such as exercise, diet, natural remedies or medication to prevent forgetfulness.

Herrmann said the knowledge about lifestyle changes "can improve memory and reduce the chance of developing more serious memory difficulties or even dementia."

Besides attention to exercise and diet, other steps include reducing stress, being social and pursuing mental activities such as learning a new language, doing crossword puzzles or playing chess to protect the brain against decline.

(Editing by John O'Callaghan)