| Good evening, Are you having greater trouble remembering those day to day tasks or struggling to focus? You're not the only one. Doctors say the Covid-19 pandemic - and the resulting lockdown - is responsible for an accelerating decline in short-term memory equivalent to six years of natural ageing - particularly in older people who were more anxious or depressed. A team from the University of Exeter and King’s College London found participants aged 50 and over who reported an increase in anxiety and depression also scored lower on cognitive tasks designed to measure short-term memory and attention. For memory, the decrease was the equivalent to the decline normally seen over six years of natural ageing. For attention, the difference was the equivalent of five years of ageing. Researchers used participants from the Protect online study who are aged over 40. There’s no question everyone’s world became smaller during lockdown - it’s obvious that more ways in which we have been changed will come out in the wash. It’s unlikely it’s just our memories that are paying the price for widespread anxiety. Regards, Nicola | 
