Early dementia or just part of aging

@emaureen I am quite intelligent if education level achievement and lifetime success, not to mention IQ score when departing high school, are acceptable indicators. Dementia shows no favourites, and will take any brain it chooses to. I am just about to turn 74, and have long since taken to putting the over-stove microwave countdown timer, with beep, on for any item I heat or cook on the stove. It's just cheap insurance. I set it for five minutes at first to let the item heat up, not begin to smoke (!!!), which some might encourage by turning their elements up to max (never....ever...unless I'm willing to stand and watch), and when it beeps, I stop whatever I'm doing and move to the stove to either adjust heat or stir....cover the pot...whatever is the next sensible step.. Oh, and then reset the timer. It often isn't needed. But if I get engrossed in something, it is easy to let 10-15 minutes go by, and by then your smoke alarms have begun to go off or you have stuff all over the stove and floor. I think the difference for dementia patients is that they would forget what the beeping is all about. You and I would certainly not forget.

Use your microwave timer, and for extra insurance, set the timer to buzz your wrist with a haptic stimulus on your smart watch. Just do it! The need to do this IS age-related, but believe me, I have problems which do not include dementia.;..not so far anyway. I just forget to look up, and by then my food may be scorched, cooked into unpleasantness, mush, slush, or otherwise inedbible. 😀

Could it be stress messing with you? Perhaps look into mindful meditative practices to see if this calms the mind. Your husband seems like a good observer of you and is willing to communicate. Perhaps ask him to tell you if he notices changes in your memory because you are afraid. He might be that calming voice or helper to determine what’s next. I guess I’m saying rule out stress in your diagnosis.

@breewhi I find it easier to find a word or a name if I describe the item or something about the person. I also ask a person struggling to find a word to describe the thing, or describe the person.

@pmstrauss I have the same memory pattern as you. I have always been very efficient in English etc etc. I can recall most things but I attribute my memory of some things as “on a need to know basis.” In other words I do not take up storage (in my brain) if I don’t feel it is important. My husband on the other hand remembers everything. I think my brain runs a little fast. LOL

Some told me that she read why we sometimes forget why we have gone into a room with an minor objective in mind. Entering a room - even in our own home - is a "new event" that puts us into a mode where we might need to adjust or react, which has higher priority than the goal. Don't know if I entirely believe this in a fixed situation, but it matches up with other aspects that have been diminished with age like hearing and reaction time. Survival is more important than checking on whether you're running low on oregano. If I lost track of an important goal just while walking between rooms, that would be worrisome.

I find that this annoying "why did I come in here?" is far less likely to happen if shortly beforehand, I say aloud what I will be going into a room to accomplish.

As far as remembering the pot cooking on the stove: I set timers and alarms on Alexa smart devices. The bathroom is a great place to leave messages to myself, or near the top of the stairs for anything that needs to be taken or brought from downstairs. I also have reminders on outside doors to check that I have my keys.

@breewhi
Gosh! Imagine That ... I'm having the same concerns (& I'm 88). Try thinking about it as ... you're experiencing "Mental-Information-Overload"! Take a moment to focus on the enormous amount of knowledge, information, memories, names, skills, Life experiences & trivia you've packed between your ears over the past 70 years! (Your "Hubby" has had an additional 3 years to stockpile) After All, every day of our lives has been a learning experience.
We each have a unique way of retaining it ... sometimes it's stored so remotely - the brain has to go thru it's own unique cataloging system to get to that wee bit of info. (trivial or otherwise) we're searching for.
We Live In a Very Complicated World ... think back to how much simpler life was 50, &/or 100 years ago.
Chin Up breewhi, a LOT of us share the same concerns ... (ask your friends, Bet'cha most of them have the same concerns)!

Via

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@margaretfriel all these years ,and some things leave our brain to leave room for new ones…!

I am 68 and you could be writing my story; even the ADD reference. I'm always in a whirl, have a very creative mind and can remember every incident from the past, especially all of the things that my husband( to his dismay) did to make me angry ! I was and am very involved with my grandkids, young at heart and could make up glorious stories for them on the spot. I'm not sure I could now and have many unfinished manuscripts I would love to see in print. I watched Matilda with a grandkid yesterday and though I read the books to them over and over, could NOT come up with Headmaster Trunchbull's name . I think the harder I try to remember , the more anxious I become; it's a viscous cycle. Every day there is a word I cannot come up with ! I blame over-use of texting and scanning the internet. I hate Sidoku and crosswords. I cant sit still long enough for those types of things. A good description of my life now would be-JUST STUCK. I fell asleep on the couch last night and am ashamed to say to my husband that if I were in a nursing home an aide could push me to bed in my wheelchair. I am so ashamed that came out of my mouth ! I should be thankful for my good health. I am just overwhelmed with worry mostly and feel imprisoned by this stray cat we tried to socialize. I had to hide in the closet from him for months. Maybe this is Stockholm syndrome and that is why he is always grinning at me.

Thank you.

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