Unretired 80-year old Climate Scientist

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That's the thing about growing old, isn't it. I remember well everything that happened in my 20s, but suddenly I'm 80 and wondering "how did all those years go by so fast?" However, I'm alive still, and that's a plus.

I live on Vancouver Island in Canada (not for sale) with my wife, and one dog we have eft. I love dogs, but this month we lost our beloved Golden Retriever - heart attack, just collapsed and died, no pain, so I'm grateful for that.
 
Hi Muskrat, my real name is Geoff, I live on Vancouver island in BC Canada. I'm interested in what seniors do to retain their memory. which we all tend to lose a bit as we grow old.
 
Welcome

To answer your question. Wife & I are both mentally alert @ 84 & 80. Experience with mental loss would be with my MIL. We took care of my wife's mother when she suffered mental loss with Alzheimer's. Quite an experience. Glad she was non confrontational, very calm & at times hilarious.
 
HELLO AND WELCOME. Forgot to turn off caps, wasn't shouting! We are 87 and 84. We're fortunate to be doing pretty well with our memory. A lot of things we forgot aren't that important anyway, but the things we need to know are still available. Do you ever get a memory that just pops into your brain and wonder where it came from?

use it or lose it comes to mind and of course there's always Google . Our son gave us Alexa and set it up, use lots of post it notes and calendar planners to keep track of daily stuff.
 
LIMEX85 said:
That's the thing about growing old, isn't it. I remember well everything that happened in my 20s, but suddenly I'm 80 and wondering "how did all those years go by so fast?" However, I'm alive still, and that's a plus.

I live on Vancouver Island in Canada (not for sale) with my wife, and one dog we have eft. I love dogs, but this month we lost our beloved Golden Retriever - heart attack, just collapsed and died, no pain, so I'm grateful for that.
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Hello and welcome!

To answer your question, thankfully forms of dementia did not run on either side of my family. Which is a good thing because I have had three concussions ranging from meh to I almost bought the farm. My brain still has the clarity it had when I was 30 or 40. I do enjoy doing online puzzles so that helps.

I have a question for you, however. If you are a unretired climatologist, that is an interesting subject to me. Especially since nobody believed 50 years ago in global warming. 50 years ago I did not discount it, but I wasn’t sure if it was an issue. Now I know, the world should have never made fun of Al Gore.

You will enjoy this forum. Many varied personalities and lifestyles. I am trying to maintain my lifestyle which is running a small farm my husband & I built and retired on 22 years ago. That alone keeps me mentally aware - trying to stay organized, care for two horses, keep equipment running and getting work done as best I can. I don’t have time to lose my mental acuity, lol lol
 
Nowt wrong with my memory, except that I have to check 5 or 6 times if I've switched off the oven before I go out, and, push the front door 20 times to be certain it's locked.
I'm prone to wearing different colour socks too, but that doesn't matter, they feel the same on my feet.
What was your question again? 😊
 
Jules said:
Yes, and I was thinking about asking this question too. Silly little meaningless flashbacks.
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Actually, odds are they were 'triggered' by something you perceived with one of the 5 most commonly used senses (Sight, sound, smell, taste, touch). 'Triggering' has acquired some negative connotatons, but it actually is a normal a function of the brain, that can help us remember the things we want/need to recall.

Aroma is a very strong memory stimulator but because most people don't give it much thought unless either extremely pleasant or gag inducing, they often don't realize a seemingly random memory was stirred up by scent that their brains associate with it. Same with taste and texture perceptions.
 
Welcome to Senior Forums. If you explore a bit you'll find there are subforums dedicated to various topics including things that are just for fun.

Like @Imogene i live rural, and that helps both my physical and mental/emotional health. i play brain exercising matching games (the ones i play are on the complex side--with similar images that require matching 2 or more elements in the image to have a match) and word games. i also read regularly, mostly non-fiction, which often sends me down research rabbit holes--double checking assertions, getting other viewpoints, or because it sparks thoughts on some detail they don't go into as much as i'd like.

Between private reading in Neurobiology, watching documentaries by actual scientist/doctors and some college courses 30 years ago, i've learned that STRESS can be a factory in memory issues as with other health issues, important to remember this can be true for anyone, of any age. The more you stress about minor 'lapses' the more lapses you will likely have. But there are things you can do to minimize those and more important lapses. Habit can be our friend if we put some thought into what is the best way to use it. Being organized is helpful, having designated spots for wallets, purses, car keys, glasses, bills.

Calendars, whether old school write-on ones or digital can help. Paper ones should be in a place you won't forget to look at --say at least every Sunday to see if you have any medical appointments that week. Most medical places these days will send 'reminder' texts to your cell phone, but setting a digital reminder for yourself can be a good idea. I still do the actual payment of our joint bills tho my millennial Daughter contributes equally to the funds. i reconcile my 'checking' account at least once a week tho i only write a whole 2 actual cks per month for local utilities--pay most stuff online. But i keep a paper calendar near entrance to kitchen kitchen and at computer desk--have notes on both because i check them regularly.
 
@feywon I have a shelf on the refrigerator door for horse medicine. If I have to give one of the horses something when they are sick, I put my house keys in the refrigerator so I don’t forget the horse medicine because it isn’t something they get every day.

I had to spend a few minutes explaining that one to my brother when he came to visit a few years back until he finally realized what the purpose of putting the house keys in the refrigerator was😂😂.

These days he doesn’t question me about anything because I have so many workarounds to accommodate for the increasing arthritis. I’m pretty sure you have a good understanding of that as well. This getting old business really stinks when we have outdoor work to be done.🤯🤯

Annnnnd the purpose of carrying the house keys to the barn that is only 450 feet from the house, is because one of my dogs has jumped up on the door and flipped the lock twice, locking me out of the house if I didn’t have the keys. Life with animals is a zoo, isn’t it? The horses have double latched gates and I have to carry the house keys with me so I can get back in.🙄😂🙄😂
 
Imogene said:
@feywon I have a shelf on the refrigerator door for horse medicine. If I have to give one of the horses something when they are sick, I put my house keys in the refrigerator so I don’t forget the horse medicine because it isn’t something they get every day.

I had to spend a few minutes explaining that one to my brother when he came to visit a few years back until he finally realized what the purpose of putting the house keys in the refrigerator was😂😂.

These days he doesn’t question me about anything because I have so many workarounds to accommodate for the increasing arthritis. I’m pretty sure you have a good understanding of that as well. This getting old business really stinks when we have outdoor work to be done.🤯🤯

Annnnnd the purpose of carrying the house keys to the barn that is only 450 feet from the house, is because one of my dogs has jumped up on the door and flipped the lock twice, locking me out of the house if I didn’t have the keys. Life with animals is a zoo, isn’t it? The horses have double latched gates and I have to carry the house keys with me so I can get back in.🙄😂🙄😂
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Yes, i use workarounds like that too for the not everyday stuff.

However much they complicate our lives, animals are well worth it. They contribute so much to our well being. I feel affection even for my neighbors' horses and cows. Some of whom come to the fence and some of whom come and graze on our land. i tell them to go home by dark do their people don't worry and they usually do!
 
Hi LIMEX85,
I'm sorry I missed your introductory post until today.
If I get a thought about something I need or want to do while at the computer, I'll jot it down, plus I keep other notes. If there is something I need to do right away after getting up in the morning, the night before, I'll put a sticky note on the bathroom mirror.
I also have a battery operated recorder that fits into the palm of my hand which I keep in the car, so if I think of something while driving that I should do, I can flip it on instead of writing it down.
I'm always seeing ads for Prevagen or other products on TV. I've never tried those, and don't want to take any OTC products unless my doctor suggests it. So far, I don't feel I need them.
We're glad you joined us; enjoy your time in the Forum.
Mack

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Researchers say the causes of memory loss are genetics, diet, and medications that impact specific brain cells and how they function.

I don't know for sure, but I believe the fact that I grew up on a healthy diet is why I don't have significant memory loss. I do have trouble with just about anything related to numbers, especially dates, and I was told that's due to a serious head injury back when I was in my mid-30s...the injury effected that specific part of my brain.

I also don't know for sure but believe that certain herbal teas I drink help keep my memory and focus sharp. And I believe it's mainly the yerba + ginger tea that helps with that.
 

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