My memory is getting really bad

@debodun I understand how you feel. I have the same trouble. Especially with names. Sometimes when they ask me in the ER what my birthdate is I will find myself stumbling over the answer with the word uh...and I have to stop and think about it.

I don't know if this has anything to do with it but, I rarely call people by their name when speaking to them. I just see them and talk to them. Maybe that has something to do with it. I have a lot of other things on my mind that are more important at work than recalling someone's name.

Plus people don't talk to me much so I think it affects my social skills to keep me from remembering their names.
 

debodun said:
Why is it names we have trouble with?
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I have always had trouble with names but now I also have difficulty recalling even common nouns. If I stop trying the word will pop into my head about 20 minutes later. I once had a pretty formidable vocabulary but the aging brain inevitably slows down.

If I could flush out the trivia and other useless stored words, I might have faster access to the ones I want.

If it turns out that I have already replied to your question, you will have a demonstration of how faulty my memory has become.
 
I volunteer at our local animal shelter where I work with dogs, cats and other volunteers and staff.

I find it hilarious that I have zero trouble remembering the animal names, but struggle to remember the human ones! 🤣

It’s the same if I meet someone new socially and either we talk about pets or they have one or more. I will struggle to remember their name but can always recall the pet names. 🤦‍♀️
 
Sunkist said:
Do you possibly know how people develop these traits?

I'd been wondering since a family member mentioned something slightly similar around a year ago- cannot visualize.. and it occurred to me I can't either.. if I close my eyes, all I see is blackness. I can bring up 'memories' or 'photographs' in my mind, but not actual images of anything..

Is this trait my family member and I have similar to what you described about yourself?
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I have it too; only see nothing (not even blackness) when I close my eyes.
 
There are helpful resources. For example, MyHealth will have all your doctor names (and I have used it this way btw). If you do not have a myHealth (or equivalent online medical account), consider getting one - it is almost a necessity for seniors.

For other things, a search engine like DuckDuckGo can help to find forgotten things.

Or just write down a list of different things.

I could not tell you my eye doctor’s name right now even though I have seen him 4 times now. But I know where to find his name. But I do remember my eye pressure (glaucoma) results - we tend to remember the important stuff!
 
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MarciKS said:
@debodun I understand how you feel. I have the same trouble. Especially with names. Sometimes when they ask me in the ER what my birthdate is I will find myself stumbling over the answer with the word uh...and I have to stop and think about it.
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Sometimes when they ask me what my birthday is, I'll say "It's next week, but you don't have to get me anything"
Either that or I tell them I'm getting my DOB legally changed to 1995

I have trouble with names too.
 

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