With aging come gradual changes in many skills related to thinking and memory. It may become more difficult to focus your attention on certain things and absorb information quickly. The delay in processing can lead to a bottleneck in short-term memory, and reduce the amount of information that can be acquired and encoded in long-term memory. The following 4 strategies can help you improve your focus and the information presented to you:
1. When someone is talking to you, look at the person and listen carefully. If you missed something being said, ask the person to repeat it or speak more slowly.
2. Imagine what is being said to make sure you understand and reinforce the information.
3. If you find yourself tending to get distracted during conversations, try meeting people in a quiet environment.
4. You can improve your ability to focus on a task by blocking out distractions when you do one thing at a time. Try to avoid interruptions.
