A very real concern! (becoming forgetful)

When I was young people thought I was stupid and now that I am older people think I have alzheimer's so I have not seen that much of a change in my life. I like to have fun with alzimer's, sometimes when the phone rings in the morning I will say good evening and when the phone rings in the evening I would say good morning. I have a grandson with a sense of humor and when he calls I would say happy birthday no matter what time of the year it is. Some times when we eat at the dinner table I will sing happy birthday to him and I love it when grandma joins in and sings happy birthday also it is even more fun when other family members join in. Some times when it is one holliday I will happy greetings from another holiday like insted of saying Happy Thanksgiving I will say Happy Christmas.
 

Lawrence said:
When I was young people thought I was stupid and now that I am older people think I have alzheimer's so I have not seen that much of a change in my life. I like to have fun with alzimer's, sometimes when the phone rings in the morning I will say good evening and when the phone rings in the evening I would say good morning. I have a grandson with a sense of humor and when he calls I would say happy birthday no matter what time of the year it is. Some times when we eat at the dinner table I will sing happy birthday to him and I love it when grandma joins in and sings happy birthday also it is even more fun when other family members join in. Some times when it is one holliday I will happy greetings from another holiday like insted of saying Happy Thanksgiving I will say Happy Christmas.
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.....LOL being old does have a few advantages.....keep'um guessing!
 
hollydolly said:
...and me... I'm 66.. but I'm always forgetting stuff, or doing stuff like putting the teabags in the fridge etc... Only last night my daughter asked me for the name of the OTC meds that I take at least 3 times a week.. could I remember the name.. not a chance :unsure: I had to rake through the meds drawer to get the name ..sometimes it concerns me, and I worry, but I do think that the less active my brain has been since retiring.. the more I seem to be not concentrating...
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Bingo! Science says our poor memory is more a problem of not concentrating and being easily distracted. One of my biggest problems is having something in my hand and putting it down without paying attention to where I put it. I don't like having something in my hand so without thinking a just put the object down. Minutes later I have no idea where I put it and I have to retrace my steps and look for it.

We are running on autopilot most of the time. If we are thinking of something stressful or exciting, that has our attention. I think we all know driving for several miles and suddenly realizing we were in our heads thinking about something and it was not our driving. :eek: Driving classes for older people can give us tips on how to be more aware and alert drivers.

Thinking takes a lot of energy and being on autopilot gets us through the day without consuming so much energy. We need to avoid stress and be well-rested, to be at our best. And for me, writing things down has always improved my memory.
 
hollydolly said:
yes the oven is my Achilles heel... I take the food out but don't turn the oven off until I'm sure the food is thoroughly cooked...and if it isn't back in it goes.. but I very often forget to turn the oven off if the food is ready when I take it out the first time...

That's one thing if I'm home and I see it an hour later when I go into the kitchen, and altho' it hasn't happened yet , I'm very concerned I'll leave the house one day with the oven still on.. so like you Aunt Bea..I find myself double and triple checking things sometimes to ensure I've done it. and honestly that's one thing that does make me feel OLD
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Everything will be fine if you leave the oven on. Except the lovely roast left in it, will be hard as a rock and not pleasant to eat. Not even adding water will make it edible.

There is even less to worry about if the oven is empty and in the morning you wonder why the kitchen is so warm.

A pan left on the burner, however, could be a more serious problem. I think all stoves should have timers that automatically turn off.

I like my steamer and microwave because they automatically turn off.

One of the best features of my new apartment is my open kitchen right next to my living room, computer desk, and TV. I know it is time to eat when I smell the smoke.
 
Until I retired most of my instances of temporary or short term memory loss were merely the result of a sudden change of routine, loss of reporting point seniority, a change in terminal and/or mileage pay, stress induced preoccupation or distraction.
 
I asked my doctor about the forgetfulness. He said not to worry about it to much it was probably a normal part of the aging process. He also mentioned that if I started to forget where I was that should be a concern. With all the advancements in quantum physics I do not know if I am really anywhere. So there's that.
 
I'm 68, and I'm getting very forgetful also, more than in my younger days. I find myself kind of rushing around every day and multi-tasking, which seems to make it worse. I've noticed what @Ruthanne said was true, at the times when I slow down and purposely become more thoughtful of what I'm doing, things go much better in the forgetful department. My aunt died from Alzheimer's when I was a child, and there is a concern of getting dementia in old age. @Old Salt, please don't beat yourself up over these moments, just take note when they happen and try to move on being more mindful next time. :)
 
Don't feel bad. We watched the play Wicked recently after many years. After the first half ended, I got up and started to leave the theater. My partner said "where are you going"? I thought it was over and had no memory of the second half of the play. I wasn't sure whether to laugh or be sad.
 
SeaBreeze said:
I'm 68, and I'm getting very forgetful also, more than in my younger days. I find myself kind of rushing around every day and multi-tasking, which seems to make it worse. I've noticed what @Ruthanne said was true, at the times when I slow down and purposely become more thoughtful of what I'm doing, things go much better in the forgetful department. My aunt died from Alzheimer's when I was a child, and there is a concern of getting dementia in old age. @Old Salt, please don't beat yourself up over these moments, just take note when they happen and try to move on being more mindful next time. :)
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Multi-tasking is a myth. No one can really do that effectively. I used to try to do that all the time when I was working. Just try to focus on the moment. If you aren't working now, why try to rush through the day? Take the time to really focus on the things that you want to accomplish.

BTW, this is coming from someone who used to feel the need to constantly be busy or I was not being productive. Now, I look at it as though I have lived most of my life and deserve to enjoy the rest of it without distractions.
 
I'm 82 and I will be talking to someone, usually son or DH and the word will escape me, a few or several minutes later the word will come to me. I hate that when it happens.

Ever watch a cat head for a room and once there will look a bit confused, it will sit down and start washing. I suggest that when one forgets why they are in said room.
 
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Other than occasionally being unable to retrieve a word that I'm sure I know but can't locate at the moment I need it, I'm not any more forgetful than I've ever been. Which is to say, more forgetful than most because I've always been somewhat disorganized and am often not paying full attention to what I'm doing. Absent-mindedness they used to call it.

Like many other posters said, when I forget why I left a room I return to where I was to spark my memory. Walked into the garage for reasons unknown? I return to the kitchen, immediately remember what I was doing right before I left it and think, Right... I need to grab a fresh container of cinnamon from the back-up pantry.

Reading other posters' stories is quite comforting... makes me feel normal. Whatever that is.
 
Aunt Bea said:
I'm dangerous when it comes to forgetting the kettle whistling away on the stove.

I try to combat/manage the slippage by changing the way that I do things.

I've switched most of my cooking to small appliances that will shut themselves off.

I try not to leave the kitchen when I'm using the stovetop.

The worst part of it all is an erosion of my confidence. I find myself checking and rechecking simple things to make sure that I have turned things off, taken medication, etc...

I don't think that dementia sets in until we forget that we are getting forgetful. :giggle:

"Always remember two things: That I love you and the name of the bank." - Leadville Johnny Brown
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Oh yeah, I told myself to take my morning pills and forgot. Thank you have reminding me. I better do that right now before I forget again.
 
StarSong said:
Other than occasionally being unable to retrieve a word that I'm sure I know but can't locate at the moment I need it, I'm not any more forgetful than I've ever been. Which is to say, more forgetful than most because I've always been somewhat disorganized and am often not paying full attention to what I'm doing. Absent-mindedness they used to call it.

Like many other posters said, when I forget why I left a room I return to where I was to spark my memory. Walked into the garage for reasons unknown? I return to the kitchen, immediately remember what I was doing right before I left it and think, Right... I need to grab a fresh container of cinnamon from the back-up pantry.

Reading other posters' stories is quite comforting... makes me feel normal. Whatever that is.
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Darling, there is a possibility neither one of us was ever "normal".
 
Old Salt said:
Thank you so much for your comforting reply! I will look up the link tomorrow. Actually today since I live in the Atlantic Provinces of Canada and it is after midnight! And I am glad I saved you some concerns about your own brain. I am starting to think, based on the replies that we are not alone and that others go through the same things.
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You're welcome, of course! Glad you found my reply helpful.
 
StarSong said:
Like many other posters said, when I forget why I left a room I return to where I was to spark my memory.
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I like this YouTube (not the camera work which is awful, but the content), it makes me feel better about forgetting why I was going to the kitchen. I'd like to find something similar about remembering words, I worry a lot because my brain will pop out the wrong word, like 'rice' instead of 'corn', I catch it immediately so I feel that is good (and if I would stop talking out loud all the time maybe I wouldn't even know I had the problem).

 
Old Salt said:
I am 85 years old and will forget something I was going to do almost immediately. It does come back to me eventually! Also, some words I always knew now don't come to mind despite my best efforts. I don't think I suffer from reduced intelligence but do the weirdest things, like trying to shove oven mitts into the fridge (as I did a few moments ago) etc. etc. Should I worry about Alzheimers or is it a natural symptom of aging? Any ideas?
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I would check with a licensed physician, however, since I have been practicing intermittent fasting, my mental acuity has increased substantially. Just sayin'. Please do check with a doctor first though. You may have other issues of concern regarding your question. :)
 

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