Why Does Growing Old Include Memory Loss

Mike

Mike

Well-known Member
Location
London
This question has been bugging me for some time
now, I count myself to be healthy with an inquisitive
mind that recalls lots of stuff, both technical and some
social memories, but recently I find that I have forgotten
the names of things, or places, or people, it is very odd
to be like this, as I never had any trouble like this before!

Is there any cure, can space be made in the brain?

Do any of you suffer this phenomenon?

Mike.
 

Yes. Just like the rest of our body, the brain gets old.
Even if you don't get a disease like Alzheimer's, most people will lose some of their short term memory.
Every so often you meet a senior citizen who is sharp as a whip in both short and long term memory.
I envy them.
There are several articles, videos on exercising or challenging the brain to build memory. I can't remember if they work though. 🤗
 
Mike said:
This question has been bugging me for some time
now, I count myself to be healthy with an inquisitive
mind that recalls lots of stuff, both technical and some
social memories, but recently I find that I have forgotten
the names of things, or places, or people, it is very odd
to be like this, as I never had any trouble like this before!

Is there any cure, can space be made in the brain?

Do any of you suffer this phenomenon?

Mike.
Click to expand...
I have had this happen to me more lately. Even though I make an effort to do things that involve using my brain. So I bought a book, Keep Your Brain Alive by Lawrence C. Katz, Ph.D & Manning Rubin. It has 83 Neurobic Exercises to help prevent memory loss & increase memory fitness. I am doing what I can now before it is too late. I forget some of the most stupid things and then think about it all night till it comes to me.
 

As people grow older, changes occur in all parts of the body, including the brain. As a result, some people notice that they don’t remember information as well as they once did and aren’t able to recall it as quickly. They may also occasionally misplace things or forget to pay a bill. These usually are signs of frustrating mild forgetfulness, not a serious memory problem.

There was a surgeon on television sometime ago explaining memory loss in old age. He used a simple analogy, by likening that loss to a computer that is getting old. The computer starts to run slow because it has so much more information to sift through that a new model doesn't have. In old age we have a lifetime of memories, so our computer runs that bit slower too. It made sense to me.

Signs that it might be time to talk with a doctor include:
Asking the same questions over and over again. Getting lost in places you used to know well. Having trouble following known recipes or directions. Becoming more confused about time, people, and places and not taking care of yourself, like eating poorly, not bathing, or behaving unsafely.
 
Mike said:
This question has been bugging me for some time
now, I count myself to be healthy with an inquisitive
mind that recalls lots of stuff, both technical and some
social memories, but recently I find that I have forgotten
the names of things, or places, or people, it is very odd
to be like this, as I never had any trouble like this before!

Is there any cure, can space be made in the brain?

Do any of you suffer this phenomenon?

Mike.
Click to expand...
Yep! For example, sometimes the face of some celebrity is clear, but the name escapes me. Things that were easy recalled just a few years ago now occasionally become inexplicably inaccessible. Strangely, I have never forgotten the name of Alexander Solzhenitszyn which I memorized circa 1975.
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn - Wikipedia

That's because I used a certain memorization technique recommended in a memory enhancement book.

Yet, recent things that were once easily remembered have occasionally become problematic. The article at the link below provides an overview of the memory-loss phenomenon.


Memory loss-like issues​

It’s also important to note that trouble remembering things can happen when you’re tired or having issues with the quality of your sleep. This isn’t memory loss. Your brain just isn’t working at its best, and it’s struggling to access or form memories.
 
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Mike said:
. . . recently I find that I have forgotten
the names of things, or places, or people, it is very odd
to be like this, as I never had any trouble like this before!
Click to expand...
I feel that, for most of us, at least some of this isn't really new at all. It's just that we have become more aware of it. More sensitive to it. If you can honestly say that 20 or 40 or 60 years ago you never had a problem recalling a word or small fact, then you're a far better man than me, @Mike.
 
Unlike other cells in the body, brain cells are not replaced when they die. It's true we have a ton of brain cells to fill the gap left by every dying brain cell, but the supply is not renewable. But I think the issue of memory loss involves much more than just losing brain cells, but this is not a subject that I have studied.
 
It is part of our whole biological system dying slowly. It is about everything in our body that gets old and doesn't work as well as it once did. It is natural, and ok. I even have fun with it, and make up words when I can't recall them. I know what they mean. :) The memory diseases are another issue, and should be recognized ASAP to help those who begin to suffer from them.
 
Paco Dennis said:
It is part of our whole biological system dying slowly. It is about everything in our body that gets old and doesn't work as well as it once did. It is natural, and ok. I even have fun with it, and make up words when I can't recall them. I know what they mean. :) The memory diseases are another issue, and should be recognized ASAP to help those who begin to suffer from them.
Click to expand...
My mother suddenly began forgetting to pay her rent. Then had to quit her job. Then started asking repeated questions even though I had answered her moments before. It was as if a drastic sudden change had occurred in her brain. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's.
People at the place she was at would all sit silently without conversing with one another. Just breathing. She gradually slid into the same profound silence. Finally, she could only listened to me talk. Forgot where she was at, thought it was a hotel. Didn't know what year it was, and who my father had been in her life. Passed away a few years later at that infernal place.
 
Radrook said:
My mother suddenly began forgetting to pay her rent. Then had to quit her job. Then started asking repeated questions even though I had answered her moments before. It was as if a drastic sudden change had occurred in her brain. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's.
People at the place she was at would all sit silently without conversing with one another. Just breathing. She gradually slid into the same profound silence. Finally, she could only listened to me talk. Forgot where she was at, thought it was a hotel. Didn't know what year it was, and who my father had been in her life. Passed away a few years later at that infernal place.
Click to expand...
It sounds very difficult to experience that. There is not much we can do once the disease has progressed that far. They are working hard on finding ways to stop it from progressing, but I have not heard of any significant progress.
 
Paco Dennis said:
It is part of our whole biological system dying slowly. It is about everything in our body that gets old and doesn't work as well as it once did. It is natural, and ok. I even have fun with it, and make up words when I can't recall them. I know what they mean. :) The memory diseases are another issue, and should be recognized ASAP to help those who begin to suffer from them.
Click to expand...
It shows that if you can make up a word to replace one that you've forgotten, then the brain is working as well as it always did...
 
Paco Dennis said:
It sounds very difficult to experience that. There is not much we can do once the disease has progressed that far. They are working hard on finding ways to stop it from progressing, but I have not heard of any significant progress.
Click to expand...
The experience is described as the Long Goodbye because one is forced to helplessly witness the gradual fading or incremental death of the family member instead of the person passing on quickly.

 
Radrook said:
The experience is described as the Long Goodbye because one is forced to helplessly witness the gradual fading or incremental death of the family member instead of the person passing on quickly.

Click to expand...
There's a huge amount of information now available on the internet for those suffering and those caring for people with AZ..

There's a brilliant expext Yipa Snow.. who explains exactly how to deal with a loved one with Dementia & AZ.. and what to expect at different stages...



Also there is many, many individual personal accounts on Youtube of people showing their loved ones who are suffering from AZ
 
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Why Does Growing Old Include Memory Loss
Click to expand...

Three causes of age-related memory loss

The hippocampus, a region of the brain involved in the formation and retrieval of memories, often deteriorates with age.
Hormones and proteins that protect and repair brain cells and stimulate neural growth also decline with age.
Older people often experience decreased blood flow to the brain, which can impair memory and lead to changes in cognitive skills.
Full article
Click to expand...
 
I've heard that memories disappear if they are not refreshed occasionally. It's like they need a rewrite or they fade away.

Sometimes the name of someone I once knew will pop into my head without any effort. But, if I tried to remember it I would draw a blank, even if I can clearly picture their face. The memory is there, but I can't access it. I have the same trouble with ordinary words too.
 
Today I read an article that even multiple surgeries in old people cause memory loss. This is not a new insight. We know that old people often get into a stage of mental confusion after surgery that lasts for some time. Fortunately mostly it gets better after some days.

For this reason especially old people should avoid cosmetic surgery. If your breasts or your male joysticks are too small, better don't get surgery. Of course if something is life-threatening, surgery is necessary.
 
I see that I am not alone, it is still a bit upsetting,
I was in a coffee shop, chatting with a friend, we
were discussing something about his work and,
I mentioned something that he could do to help
the situation, then a few minutes later I couldn't
remember what I had suggested!

Any way, for some time I have been taking some
tablets that contain Zinc, I was told that it is good
for the memory, but in my case, it isn't, or maybe
it is the problem, to convince me to take more.

If any of you find a solution, let me know, I will of
course do the same.

Mike.
 
George1959 said:
Today I read an article that even multiple surgeries in old people cause memory loss. This is not a new insight. We know that old people often get into a stage of mental confusion after surgery that lasts for some time. Fortunately mostly it gets better after some days.

For this reason especially old people should avoid cosmetic surgery. If your breasts or your male joysticks are too small, better don't get surgery. Of course if something is life-threatening, surgery is necessary.
Click to expand...
try telling Sharon Osbourne
 
Mike said:
I see that I am not alone, it is still a bit upsetting,
I was in a coffee shop, chatting with a friend, we
were discussing something about his work and,
I mentioned something that he could do to help
the situation, then a few minutes later I couldn't
remember what I had suggested!

Any way, for some time I have been taking some
tablets that contain Zinc, I was told that it is good
for the memory, but in my case, it isn't, or maybe
it is the problem, to convince me to take more.

If any of you find a solution, let me know, I will of
course do the same.

Mike.
Click to expand...
Mike I'm the worlds' worst at starting to say something, and if I'm interupted...it's gone...and I can't remember what I was going to say....
 
Anxiety and depression appear to have an unexpected impact on memory with age. These can feed on themselves too. Constantly walking around in fear and imagining danger after listening to too many voices trying to scare you about the world outside your bed and covers is a bad thing.

Be more positive and less fearful. Ignore the people trying to convince you how unsafe the world is.
 
George1959 said:
For this reason especially old people should avoid cosmetic surgery. If your breasts or your male joysticks are too small, better don't get surgery. Of course if something is life-threatening, surgery is necessary.
Click to expand...
I don't know of any guys who ever even considered this. However I know quite a few women who have had face lifts, liposuction, Botox injections, and on and on.
 
Thinking outside the box........Can a person, who is experiencing Alzheimer's, possibly be convinced that the confusion they may be experiencing is fine. To just allow themselves to accept it as normal, this in order to allay their fear of it?? Or if it did help, it could not be sustained?
 

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