Memory decline in older people due to abundance of irrelevant information?

The decline in memory that comes with ageing could be due to a filling up of the older mind with irrelevant information, research has indicated.

A study carried out at Concordia University found that older people experience a decline in learning and memory because their minds are "cluttered" with unrelated information when performing tasks.

Researchers compared the working memory of a group with an average age of 23, and another with an average age of 67. The older group exhibited a decline in working memory compared to the younger ones, who were more skilled at recalling and processing information.

Karen Li, senior author, said: "Our study was novel because we looked at how the ability to recall and process information at the same time changes as people get older."

Meanwhile, research published in journal Aging, Neuropsychology and Cognition found that the way bilingual individuals process language as they get older changes.

According to the study, older adults rely on context more and have to be more "strategic with capacity".

Find the nearest Barchester care home