I have found myself in a week of brain drain.

My brain and I are having some issues. I’ve been going too fast, doing too much, and it is time to slow down and enjoy the scenery a bit.

I’ve been reading about how important it is, especially as we get older, to learn new things. Make the brain work, learn to play bridge, do crossword puzzles, learn a new language , anything to exercise the brain — not unlike exercising the muscles. You know the saying, “Use it or lose it.”

My favorite things to do at present include taking classes at the college, reading nonfiction books, and most recently I’ve become completely addicted to doing Sudoku puzzles. See, I’ve really been trying!

My good friend Kristin Einberger, along with Janelle Sellick, has written several books on how to keep the mind limber and ready to go. The titles are “Strengthen Your Mind, Volume One” and “Strengthen Your Mind, Volume Two: Activities for People Concerned about Early Memory Loss.”

One of the reasons I trust Einberger’s advice is her business background. When I first met her she was program administrator for the Older Adults Division of Napa Valley Adult School. Then she went to work as the Alzheimer’s Day Care Resource Center program supervisor for Adult Day Services. She is now program director for the Senior Day Program in Fairfield, also working as a consultant and still turning out books.

The following are a few thoughts Kristin generously agreed to share with us:

“You often hear the following comments:

‘She’s getting older; that’s why she’s forgetting more.’

‘He’ll never remember that, he’s too old.’

‘I forgot my appointment, but what can you expect: I’m 85 years old.’

“These are comments we hear on a regular basis. The fact of the matter is, though, memory loss is not a normal part of aging. Our memories do not get worse, simply because we’re aging. However, there are some normal age-related changes in memory that we can expect as we age.

“Three of the most significant are:

• It takes us longer to process information and learn new things. This does not mean that we cannot learn new information but rather that it just takes us longer and is sometimes a more difficult task.

• It takes us longer to recall information that is stored in our long-term memory. When we were younger, we may have been able to ‘bring up’ this information instantaneously, whereas now we have to think about it for a while before recalling it.

• We have more difficulty multitasking or paying attention to more than one thing at a time. It’s more challenging to chop vegetables, talk on the phone and read a recipe or to watch TV. Trying to do all these things at one time often just results in frustration.”

That last item pretty much explains my week.

I know we all want to keep our wits about us for as long as we can, so I’d like to share some interesting ideas on staying sharp.

Would you believe that paying attention to our senses could help our memory? It’s true.

If we make a point of concentrating on our senses, all of our senses: sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell, we will be stimulating our brain, enhancing our memory and just generally helping ourselves to interpret the world around us.

Next column, we’ll explore more on using the senses.

Senior Corner appears every other Monday, alternating with Jim Ford’s Napa As It Was. Betty can be reached at bettyrrhodes@sbcglobal.net.