[The current posts are written by students in Memory, Aging & Expressive Arts.  Partnering with U-M Geriatric Centers, Mild Memory Loss, Silver Club Programs, students have been paired with community members to create together.]

Nestled at the core of the brainstem lies the part of the brain responsible for regulating information and keeping us alert.  Known as the reticular formation, this area of the brain filters environmental stimulus, recognizing abrupt or important elements and bringing them to our attention, sparing us any meaningless information. It would be incredibly overwhelming to process every detail happening around us at each moment, so our reticular activator helps pick and choose what we find most important.

Let’s say you buy a new car – you don’t know very many people with the same car and you feel really unique and excited about your purchase.  On your drive home from the dealer, you are shocked to notice the car you just bought everywhere – that’s the reticular formation in action! This new car previously held no personal relevance, therefore carrying no perceptual importance.  Now, you are a proud car owner and it begins to hold weight with the reticular activator.

Before participating in Memory, Aging and Expressive Arts, I don’t remember being aware of the stigma against memory loss.  Through the readings, lectures and experiences offered by this class, I have become increasingly attentive to the negative attitudes of what it means to experience memory loss in literature and the mass media, as well as the general unfavorable perceptions held by my peers and community.  This element of aging previously dormant in my mind suddenly popped into view. With increased awareness of this affliction comes the responsibility to eliminate the existing negative stereotypes or generalizations about the impact of memory loss, putting positive and open-minded knowledge in their place.  I’m more aware, so I must be more ready to act.

~Annie, UM Stamps School of Art & Design