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Early dementia or just part of aging
Hi! I’m 76 and have worried for years about getting dementia because many of the women in my mother’s family suffered from this. Since childhood I’ve always had what I describe as “ADD concerns” but never had a formal diagnosis. As an adult I considered this but never moved on it because as my husband always said “ Why? You multitask, never miss appointments or get confused driving etc.” But internally I knew I faked a lot. Now I can’t fake things. Now it’s noticeable as I have obvious difficulty remembering /retelling programs/ movies I watched the night before, spelling when I’ve always was a good speller and especially word recall…..I know what I want to use but just can’t recall it . How do I know what’s just an “ aging “ thing or signs of dementia? Does anyone have input or can direct me what to read about this. Thank you all!
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https://www.sciencealert.com/the-4-rarer-kinds-of-dementia-most-people-dont-know-exist
@slarson14 exactly what my excellent hearing doc says.
I’m forgetting a second later what I was going to do. Is this typical getting older stuff or should I look for help from my doctor. I took memory tests at my annual physical and fail some and then pass them.
@stsopoci Very likely it is age-related, but it also means a loss of 'function' in operational memory. You should, even at age 85-95, be able to read aloud a new phone number and then press those numbers on the handset in the correct order three short seconds later.
There is such a thing as a 'busy brain' where it is lost too much time during the day in fleeting thoughts, problems, desires, news bits, little momentary chores..stuff not worth retaining, so you dump it....and then when you go to concentrate on something you need to understand....AND...to retain for at least an hour, it just ain't gonna happen.
The human brain loses ground in vascularization, blood supply, and in capacity as a result as we age. You may, not saying you are, but you may be well inside that camp by now, so...yup...it's normal, natural aging.
I just went on YouTube and did a search for 'seniors, how to improve memory' and found many example videos, but I selected this one. I have not listened to it, don't know the host/narrator....so if it's a bust, please just use it as an example of how you can do your own search and listen to several videos by people who claim to offer help with memory:
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1 ReactionYou should have this conversation with your doctor. Personally, I think that your anxiety could be a contributing factor but you don't need any armchair diagnosis.
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