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Haven't read all the posts, but I've heard this before.....
If you forget where your keys ARE, that alone is not reason to think you're going down hill toward dementia.
If a person doesn't know (recall) what a key IS, or is used for -- THAT could eventually be an issue.
That could be with any object a person has used all their life.
Looking around my now in my living room....I see a fly swatter, pens, books, pillows, photos....
Misplacing those items wouldn't be of concern...(who doesN'T lose or misplace things from time to time)
Not knowing (remembering) what a book or flyswatter, or pillow IS (or is for) when a person has known that forever, might be a red flag.
New research from University of Notre Dame Psychology Professor Gabriel Radvansky suggests that passing through doorways is the cause of these memory lapses.
“Entering or exiting through a doorway serves as an ‘event boundary’ in the mind, which separates episodes of activity and files them away,” Radvansky explains.
I'm in my early 50s. I can't remember when I started having to backtrack to my original location because I was headed somewhere (in a very determined hurry) and couldn't remember why once I got there. Sometimes I am halfway down the stairs and realize I have no idea what I mean to do. I'm going to say decades.
Then there are the time I run downstairs to get something. 5 minutes later I'm back in my office, except I'd gotten sidetracked by something and while I did bring something back, the original item had been forgotten (I can do that more than once). i.e. Run downstairs to get long ruler, find dishwasher has finished, open it up, cat finished food, put dish in sink to soak, see water bottle, fill and bring upstairs, sit down, where's the ruler?
My favorite - and I'm going to blame this on my thyroid brain fog - is when I'm sitting at my desk and open a new browser screen to search for something and can't remember what it was. We're talking seconds here.
I've had two grandparents with Alzheimers so I do worry. But I hear from too many people about how common it is and try not to stress about it.
Last fall I started to use Siri to set timers and reminders and it's helped a lot, because I can get things out of my head until the reminder comes back up.
Recently saw a CBS Morning interview w/ an Alzheimers researcher who said that these sorts of memory lapses aren't a precursor and nothing to worry about....
It's not when you keep losing your car keys that is worrisome. What's worrisome is when you look down at your car keys and wonder what the heck the keys are for?
I also thought noteworthy in the interview is the goal of Alzheimer's research isn't necessarily to cure the disease, but to find methods to push the onset back a decade or 15 yrs ----helpful in that possibly another disease (CA or heart disease) will be one's demise instead of Alzheimer's.
I wasn't sure how to post this as I'm not used to people not having/using the internet but, a neighbor confided she was seriously worried because she went down the hall for something & totally forgot why & had to retrace her steps to remember
For those of us who do frequent the internet it becomes laughable because we have all done that.
What I would like to do is to share the moments you have remember forgetting, bring her to my apartment, (as she doesn't have internet/computer or kindle & let her read what we all share.
I know if I hadn't read some of others thoughts/histories I would have been scared of the things we go through as we age. But, with the help of everyone, things make sense & I know I'm not alone.
So...how best to help her?
As an OT who works in geriatric rehab, I'd suggest you not reassure her it's normal. If she is worried it is because she sees something happening or it is happening with increasing frequency to the point she is concerned. It may be normal aging, but it may also be early signs of Alzheimer's. She should see her doctor and get assessed.
Recently saw a CBS Morning interview w/ an Alzheimers researcher who said that these sorts of memory lapses aren't a precursor and nothing to worry about....
It's not when you keep losing your car keys that is worrisome. What's worrisome is when you look down at your car keys and wonder what the heck the keys are for?
I also thought noteworthy in the interview is the goal of Alzheimer's research isn't necessarily to cure the disease, but to find methods to push the onset back a decade or 15 yrs ----helpful in that possibly another disease (CA or heart disease) will be one's demise instead of Alzheimer's.
Not knowing what your keys are for is not a sign of early Alzheimer's, that is much later stage Alzheimer's. A certain degree of memory loss is normal, and yes it happens to me too, but if it is happening with increasing frequency it may very well be signs of onset of Alzheimer's. To tell someone you know definitively they have nothing to worry about because an article you read says it's not is irresponsible IMO. I wouldn't want that responsibility of knowing I dissuaded someone from seeing a doctor and making sure when the house burns down because she forgot to turn the stove off.
Thanks for jogging my memory. I was trying to remember this study. Read it a while back.
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