How normal is memory loss with aging?

[CathyA]

It seems like my short-term memory loss and remembering names of things/people has gotten pretty bad lately. I hate it. Simple words I should remember, are just unavailable to me. It seems to be escalating at a fast rate.
I'm 68. I remember to do tons of things during the day and my memory for things in the past is exceptional. But dangit, I can't remember simple words and names. How is this for the rest of you? Is there anything that might help it?
Thanks.

[sweetana3]

My husband and I were both commenting on this. I can often remember the beginning of a word, like it starts with "sa" and is about "xxx" and searches take a bit longer. Names are much harder but then I don't concentrate as hard as I did at work where I said the names, wrote them and then read about them. Helped to create a stable memory. I used to have a job as a secretary and letters were my thing but now I really rely on the computer spell check.

But I don't get lost, forget to lock the door, can drive although I hate it, etc. So maybe it is general aging and slowing down?

[Lainey]

Happened to me the other day when I couldn't recall the word "turquoise." I was admiring someone's earrings and I was trying to say the stone color looked like turquoise - fortunately my friend realized what I was trying to say and she said it. Sure felt spooky.

I see there's some free short online memory-related quizzes to take which might be one tool to help you. I'm going to try some of them myself. I don't think I'm in any danger zone, but doesn't hurt to check it out.

[Tammy]

I do this when I’m too busy - multitasking - stressed. Otherwise not so much. It’s often related to things other than dementia.

[JaneV2.0]

A little forgetfulness seems normal, and I suspect there is some connection to blood sugar levels. It often takes me a beat or two (or a half hour, or 24) to remember a name. Recently, i tried to remember "Ross Perot" and momentarily came up with "Rod Fullow." I didn't think that was the name, but I had a feeling the sound was close. Sometimes I'm amazed at what I can remember.

[Tenngal]

I do online crossword puzzles several times a week......supposed to help with this kind of thing........makes sense to me.

[iris lilies]

I have decided that names are not important, so I dont stress about not remembering them.:)

[Williamsmith]

What was the question again?

[Float On]

You might also increase your water. Apparently dehydration affects our memory and it's easier to get dehydrated than first thought. NPR had something on that this morning...I'd remember more about it but haven't been drinking enough water lately. :laff:

I'm menopausal and finding the "brain fog" is horrible, worse than the hot flashes: Names! What did I just say? Are you sure we talked about that? What is it called? Ugh! :doh:


What I meant to talk about (and had to edit to come back to):
Dad is 77 and in January had an "episode" it's not really a stroke or aneurysm or alzheimers but the neurologist said something in the brain died, a few cells here and here. It causes memory issues. Mostly for him it's names and short-term memory. He knows two of my cousins like sons. One he has no problem remembering his name but the other one is now known as "you know that other one". It's like the recognition for "T's name" is just turned off. He knows him, everything about him, every old memory of him, just can't come up with the name or remember recent memories like talking to him yesterday. They did all the scans possible and gave him a memory placement test for a marker, he'll retest on that every 6 mts to see if there are additional changes. I believe as we age the memory placement test will be more common since alzheimers and other memory issues are key study areas currently.

One more edit. They did have dad increase the B12 supplement but I think studies are a bit mixed on how much that really helps. But maybe that's because we can't remember to take it! :laff:

[catherine]

My short-term memory defect that concerns me most is my inability to remember the subjects of studies I spent 6 weeks on! And if I have 2-3 studies running at the same time, I have a hard time instanteously telling them apart! One time I was doing an project in France, and I got to the facility where they asked me what the topic was so they could direct me to the right room, and I couldn't bring it up!! I was doing 3 studies at the same time and I just had a hard time picking the right study. They laughed, but I was freaked out that I couldn't remember the topic of the study that I was working on. To be honest, typing this out makes me even more concerned, even though that was kind of an isolated instance.

Because I do 20 studies a year, maybe its understandable, but I definitely find that type of information more difficult to pull up now.

[Williamsmith]

My question is, how do we know the accuracy of the perceived deficiencies if the baseline we are relying on is our “memory” of how precise and instantaneous our brain function used to be? Perhaps it is not a function of reduced efficiency. Perhaps it is a function of capacity overload as we continue to add minutes, hours, days and years of information into the storage spaces in our brains.

[sweetana3]

Arthur Conan Doyle had Sherlock Holmes limit his exposure to some info because Sherlock said he only had so much room in his brain.

[Teacher Terry]

I am a excellent speller and sometimes I can’t remember exactly how to spell a word. Names of someone I rarely meet.

[catherine]

I am a excellent speller and sometimes I can’t remember exactly how to spell a word.

OMG, I have noticed that. I have always been an excellent speller as well, but more and more, I'm checking the internet to make sure I'm spelling something correctly.

[CathyA]

What was the question again?. LOL!

[KayLR]

OMG, I have noticed that. I have always been an excellent speller as well, but more and more, I'm checking the internet to make sure I'm spelling something correctly.

I do that too, but mostly the thing where the word I want is just at the tip of my tongue and I can't come out with it. It does concern me, so glad to see it happens commonly.

Or....I dread coming in to the office on Monday and people asking me how my weekend was. Sometimes I can't reach easily back to Saturday and remember what happened. I find myself trying to make mental notes of things that are common everyday things, saying, "Now remember this on Monday when asked about your weekend."

[sweetana3]

KayLR,that exact thing about weekends hits me too. I may have done something slightly interesting but I have slept since then.

[CathyA]

I think it's true that our brains are so full of all kinds of minutia that something has to go. I have to make connections all the time with everything, in order to remember them. When my chickens were still alive, I would count them every evening after I shut them up in their coop. I would get back to the house and think "Did I shut their coop door??", and I'd have to go back out. Then I started saying outloud, while I was closing the door, what we were having for dinner. that way, I would remember saying dinner and know that I'd shut the door! But I forget all kinds of words. Then sometimes, I say a word and it's like I've never heard of it before.

I don't lose my keys or get lost, etc......but I have such a strong reaction to when I have short moments of forgetfulness. I put my shoes on as soon as I get up in the morning. the other day I went to go outside and looked down and my shoes were gone. I didn't remember taking them off! But I did remember that I was going to go to the garden, and usually put my old shoes on in the entranceway, so that's probably what happened. But dang......I hate that feeling of being confused for a few seconds. I think these things happen to my DH, but it doesn't bother him. I'm trying not to let it bother me so much, but it's hard. Now.....what was I saying? .............:~)

[lmerullo]

I have a hard time remembering what day it is...I work M / W one place and T /Th / F another with weekends off. I can't tell you how many times I get up early on Saturday, or show up at my M /W job at the other job's start time...when that happens, I just read in the car! Also, I'll be discussing something and say yesterday to mean the last time I worked there, not the day before (which is similar to a child's time reference, I suppose).

[Yppej]

My mother does not have Alzheimer's per her doctor and my own observations (she remembers new events as well as distant ones) but is losing vocabulary. Some examples: mall ("that place with a lot of stores"), menopause ("you know that thing women your age have"). She uses a lot of synonyms. She is 77.

[dado potato]

A useful article distinguishing Age-Related Memory Loss from dementias:

https://www.helpguide.org/articles/alzheimers-dementia-aging/age-related-memory-loss.htm


The article contains several suggestions about diet, exercise and lifestyle choices... and it links to further reading.

[SteveinMN]

My mother does not have Alzheimer's per her doctor and my own observations (she remembers new events as well as distant ones) but is losing vocabulary. Some examples: mall ("that place with a lot of stores"), menopause ("you know that thing women your age have"). She uses a lot of synonyms. She is 77.
OMG my DW is experiencing that and she's about 20 years younger than your mother! :0!

I haven't experienced that kind of memory loss. I'm not sure why. I "farm out" a lot of my memory to my electronic assistants. Maybe that helps. DD's phone number is on my iPhone Favorites list; I'd never remember it otherwise. Appointments? I don't remember them all, partially because they're not regular enough to think, "Oh, it's Friday; I must be at the food bank this morning." They're on my phone/computer, too (and synced in the cloud in case both of them disappear on me). I am very much a creature of habit in putting things away; I think I could make a meal in the total dark in my kitchen because dishes and ingredients are right where I put them.

I do occasionally have the issue of really forgetting how to get somewhere I've been scores of times if I've been away from it for a while (like work: OK, I'm on the escalator. Which way do I head when I get off it?). I have to pass something I'm familiar with before I'm sure I'm on the right path. Weird.

[JaneV2.0]

I never can remember phone numbers of people I don't enjoy talking to. >8)

[Yppej]

Thank you for the article Dado Potato.

[SiouzQ.]

I've noticed that my spelling has gotten really horrendous lately and I used to be a pretty good speller (won the 3rd grade spelling bee anyway)! I am always looking up stuff and it usually has to do with using the correct vowel within a word.