How do you compensate for your forgetfulness?

Ronni

Ronni

Well-known Member
Location
Nashville TN
FuzzyBuddy's thread on senior moments spawned this question.

My doctor has reassured me that my forgetfulness is a natural consequence of getting older. Because both my parents battled with dementia, I am hyper-sensitive to any indication that my mind is going, so the issue of forgetfulness is particularly significant to me.

I've learned to compensate for those moments with a variety of tricks that have worked for me. When I remember something that I need to do, but I can't do it right then, I'll grab whatever is close to hand and throw it down on the floor. Somehow that visual reminder of the glove that is tossed to the floor, or the book, or a pen..whatever...it helps. That visual association jogs my memory just enough.

If I need to remember to bring something with me when I leave the house, I'll put my car keys in the fridge so that I can't leave till I've retrieved my keys, which reminds me of what i need to bring with me. The downside of this is that if I don't IMMEDIATELY retrieve whatever it is, I'll tend to forget again. This also works when I'm at Ron's house and there's food in the fridge I want to take home.

I have a carabiner attached to my keys so that I can immediately clip my keys to the handle of my bag when I get out of the car. No more lost/misplaced keys.

These tricks, and several more, are in addition to the copious notes I keep on my phone, AND the handy little Reminder app that allows me to set a reminder for a specific day and time at which point an alert sounds and a visual text pops up on my phone. And it keeps popping up until I go in and cancel it. VERY handy, plus the phone is smart/eqipped with Siri, which means I can tell it "add reminder" and it will prompt me to add the date and time to what I need to remember, and bam it's done.

What do you do?
 

Ronni, I do the same thing with the car keys. If I have to remember to take something with me when I leave the house, I toss the car keys on the floor in front of the door. That way,
I can't avoid seeing (and retrieving) the reminder.
 

I just do a lot of walking here on the place

I'll be at the south end of the property, and it'll dawn on me what I needed from the north end
then, while strolling back, something will catch my eye

a lot...... of walking

.....like a duck in a shooting gallery
 
Falcon said:
I put a dish towel on the lampshade. It works. Try it.
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I'd be worried that would be a fire hazard! :( But then again, my oldest is a firefighter and my head is filled with his warnings about the potential for fire in my home!
 
I do exactly the same thing, I throw something on the floor, then when I see it there, I remember what I had to do... or I'll place something large on the counter in the kitchen that wouldn't normally be there... like my watch or something...

...equally if I need to remember to take something with me when I'm going out.. I put it on the doormat right in front of the front door...
 
If I have to remember something before I leave in the morning I put a note on my breakfast plate where I'll be sure to see it and so far this works out fine. :eek:nthego:
 
I have a list on the door to check before I go out.

On the refrigerator I have an eraseable tablet that I write on to pick up groceries.

I just take a picture of it on my cellphone before I leave.

Losing stuff is the worst. I just had it in my hand. Where did it go? I am going to get a video camera and record myself so I can replay it and find out how I do those things.

I find that when cold weather comes, it increases my forgetfulness because I always seem to be rushing.

Forget what day it is. Not a Problem. Forget the year. Big problem.
 
I write everything down and I have to write a long sentence. I can't just put one word because I won't remember why I wrote the note. For example I can't just write Doctor's appointment because I won't remember what Doctor I have to go to.
 
My solution is simple...I make a "to do" list and check off the completed project. On weekly trips to town I make a list of where I intend to go and a brief reason. More importantly, I nourish my body and mind with healthy food, vitamin supplements, and various herbs. The herb Ginkgo biloba improves blood flow to the brain and other organs. Rosemary is another excellent choice. I often breathe in the essence of Rosemary Essential Oil to stimulate my mind.
 
The only thing I actually forget that really gets me is my shopping list. I have a couple of fat note pads and write items down as I think of them. I try to tear off the page and stick it in the back pocket of the jeans that I'm planning to wear on a shopping trip that day. Or put it next to my handbag.

But actually, the most irritating thing is when I'm doing something that reminds me of something that I need to buy, but by the time I get to the notepad, I forget. :confused:
 
I don't subscribe to the notion of vitamin supplements unless your diet is deficient in them. I just rely on writing important things down - major events go on a year planner, and the shopping list goes in a notebook.
 
I take Lemon Balm capsules, daily. I grow it, outside. Do your own research: It's recognized as being great for memory. I took tons of it, in college, and came out a 4.0. Also, I make to do lists, daily, and have a dry marker board in the kitchen, for needed grocery items. FWIW, I'd find another doctor if mine told me that forgetfulness is a natural part of aging. Newer studies say it does not have to be. My Dad was clear as a bell, right up to his becoming late, at 85.
 
I don't know that I'm overly forgetful, but from a young age I learned that being well-organized can eliminate a lot of grief. Try to have a place for everything and take care of things immediately when I'm done using them. I start every morning at my computer with a cup of coffee. I use my Outlook calendar for appointments, and have a small Excel spreadsheet on my desktop where I keep my "to-do list". Seems to work for me.
 
treeguy64 said:
I take Lemon Balm capsules, daily. I grow it, outside. Do your own research: It's recognized as being great for memory. I took tons of it, in college, and came out a 4.0. Also, I make to do lists, daily, and have a dry marker board in the kitchen, for needed grocery items. FWIW, I'd find another doctor if mine told me that forgetfulness is a natural part of aging. Newer studies say it does not have to be. My Dad was clear as a bell, right up to his becoming late, at 85.
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I think maybe we’re talking about two different things? My cognitive functioning is excellent and seems to have gotten sharper as I’ve aged. Forgetfulness is different and doesn’t particularly involve cognitive function per se.
 
I keep my keys on a clip hanging from my purse. I can't go anywhere without my purse and wallet so the keys belong with it. I have a scrap piece of paper on my ref door and write grocery items I need in the order of my grocery store layout, so that I don't have to backtrack in the store. I write my appts in the monthly calendar hanging on my wall.

I read somewhere = If you come out of a store and forget where you parked your car that is okay, but if you come out of the store and forget how you got to the store then you have a big problem.
 
PVC said:
I keep my keys on a clip hanging from my purse. I can't go anywhere without my purse and wallet so the keys belong with it. I have a scrap piece of paper on my ref door and write grocery items I need in the order of my grocery store layout, so that I don't have to backtrack in the store. I write my appts in the monthly calendar hanging on my wall.

I read somewhere = If you come out of a store and forget where you parked your car that is okay, but if you come out of the store and forget how you got to the store then you have a big problem.
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PVC I keep my keys clipped to my purse also!!

And sometimes, in crowded parking lots, I'll take a picture or two to help me orient to where my car is in relation to the entrance. I have been known to wander for a few minutes trying to find my car. It doesn't help that it's a bland white, and generic shape, which seems to be the look of at least half the cars in the lot!
 
Ronni said:
I think maybe we’re talking about two different things? My cognitive functioning is excellent and seems to have gotten sharper as I’ve aged. Forgetfulness is different and doesn’t particularly involve cognitive function per se.
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Hmm...... Interesting semantics spin that I can't go along with. Sorry.

To wit: "Cognitive functions can be defined as cerebral activities that lead to knowledge, including all means and mechanisms of acquiring information. Cognitive functions encompass reasoning, memory (emphasis mine) , attention, and language and lead directly to the attainment of information and, thus, knowledge."

Ipso Facto: If you are forgetting things, your memory is not functioning properly. Thus, you do, in fact, have cognitive function impairment.
 

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