Support Group for Those of Us Living With Mild Dementia

Although I have not been diagnosed with any sort of dementia, I feel I too am going down that path. Am hesitant to mention it to my neurologist. I am seeing him due to tremors and neuropathy. I loose people's names, only to remember them 15 minutes later. I can't think of names of places or things, only to remember them later. Is this the beginning of dementia???? I have a good friend who has Alzheimer's and she has gone down hill rapidly. I am in the process of getting all my affairs in order, including writing my obituary. I know my son would not know enough to write it. Thanks for letting me vent.

Hi, my husband, has been diagnosed with MCI in memory loss. His executive functioning is superior. But I am feeling alone dealing with his forgetfulness, repeating of stories, and simple repetitive tactical things that I teach him over and over, like how to retrieve a Venmo, for example. Some days I'm better than other days, but it seems to be progressing faster than I had thought, and I feel overwhelmed. I'm supporting the household, have 5 children and grandchildren and I also am primary care giver to my mother in assisted living with dimentia. How do I cope with all of this. I feel hopeless some days and am getting depressed myself. My friends don't know and my children do know but they have their own lives.

Dear 904dmt,
Slower name recall, such as you describe, is common with aging, and not necessarily a sign of serious cognitive decline. Your neurologist is a good person to ask. If you're an AARP member, they offer free cognitive tests on line.

Meanwhile, it's a good thing for all of us to simplify our lives and get all end-of-life planning and information in order. _Get It Together_ from Nolo Press is a workbook for this. Once you do this, you'll find your worry burden is lighter.

My husband and I are both 72 years old. We both have "memory issues."
Mine: Primarily unable to find words, sometimes mid-sentence -- which makes less confident in conversation with others. And I notice I don't spell as well as I used to .
My husband's: Not recollecting recent things he's been told.
We have no children or close relatives. It's frightening to think of cognitive issues worsening.
Neither of us have had testing. I've been frightened to find out that I might have a cognitive impairment, thinking there's no real treatment. I'm thinking I need to face this and talk to an expert.
Please, I've been able to get RECOMMENDATIONS from Mayo Connect folks about GREAT DOCTORS I might connect with. I'm lucky to get my primary care at MAYO CLINIC, ROCHESTER. So, please, would any of you be willing to suggest a name or two of someone here that I might seek to see? Either writing the name(s) in response here or by sending me a private message, if you'd prefer. I would be so grateful!!!
All the Best to You All! Rose

My handwriting is illegible now. Is it related to MCI?

Somewhere along the way, no doubt in your childhood, somebody placed in your mind with harsh words and deeds and maybe punishment too, the belief that you’ve got to WORK you can’t be lazy you have to be seen by others and yourself to be WORKING, DOING and being busy. Well here’s the thing. That was THEIR belief and it’s not one that is actually required during your life here on Earth. We can quickly scoot around doing basic cleanup of our house then we can do the things that we LOVE to do. What do you dream of doing ‘one day’? It will be hard at first because your inner voice will growl at you, frighten you laugh and scoff at you, and you will need to face that voice and tell it to go away. Go back and find out why you have the belief of work being so important and air it and examine it and that will make it lose its grip on you xx

My husband seems to be most
Forgettable when he is engaged in conversation outside the home. He seems to get more excited when he talks to people.
He is also hard of hearing.