# You're forgetting things, are you afraid of Alzheimer's?



## fuzzybuddy (Oct 13, 2017)

I'm 71. I do hard crossword and Sudoku puzzles every day. I'm on narcs for a severe spinal condition. I have dyslexia. One of the symptoms of it is that you can't remember people's names. I'm famous for that. And  I can't remember if I took my 4PM meds at 4:01PM.  I spend a lot of time looking for things I just had in my hand. So you wonder, is it just the getting old thing, and those other things. Since I've never gotten old before I wonder if Alzhiemmer  is in the cards?  Do you kind wonder, too?


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## CeeCee (Oct 13, 2017)

Thankfully that's one I don't worry about at all.  Maybe because nobody in my family had it and most lived to be in their 90's.

I worry more about cancer because I'm an ex smoker, although there's no lung cancer in my family either but my mom did die of complications from emphysema and that's also a big worry for me.


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## Falcon (Oct 13, 2017)

I think that forgetting things  is just another sign  0f getting old;  NOT necessarily  a  sign of Alzheimers  disease,

but COULD   be  later on.


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## IrisSenior (Oct 13, 2017)

fuzzybuddy, the best way to check is with your doctor, he/she should know what to do to see if you might have alzheimer's (I just googled this) as I am concerned about my older brother who is 73. He was supposed to visit a cousin of ours and didn't show up and also forgot her name several times. Note that said brother did have a small stroke in April 2016. I can't remember names and faces and I don't have Alzheimer's.


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## terry123 (Oct 13, 2017)

Fuzzy, I do puzzles and solitaire.  I do accounting for a dear friend and I finally convinced him to let me do them on the computer but now I am still doing them by hand for myself.  Having to balance bank statements, credit card bills etc to the penny helps me stay sharp mentally. It would be faster on the computer but to challenge myself I prefer to do them manually. It doesn't make any difference to him as he still really does not trust computers anyway.  He is 71 and set in his ways so I just do his accounting each month and send to his CPA at year end so she can do his taxes.  Nobody in my family has the disease but I do think about it when I can't remember something.


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## Cap'nSacto (Oct 13, 2017)

I worry about it occasionally. But I don't let it get me down. I just try to take good care of myself. I have a solid plan in the event I am stricken.


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## Wren (Oct 14, 2017)

I also do puzzles, play the word games, try to see at least one friend and keep active each day

Alzheimers does cross my mind sometimes, but I don’t dwell on it and mostly put it down to aging in general or being preoccupied


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## Camper6 (Oct 14, 2017)

terry123 said:


> Fuzzy, I do puzzles and solitaire.  I do accounting for a dear friend and I finally convinced him to let me do them on the computer but now I am still doing them by hand for myself.  Having to balance bank statements, credit card bills etc to the penny helps me stay sharp mentally. It would be faster on the computer but to challenge myself I prefer to do them manually. It doesn't make any difference to him as he still really does not trust computers anyway.  He is 71 and set in his ways so I just do his accounting each month and send to his CPA at year end so she can do his taxes.  Nobody in my family has the disease but I do think about it when I can't remember something.



Well good for you. But balancing the books by hand would drive me insane. Doing the books on the computer is a pleasure now and not a chore. And for taxes? I just give the tax preparer a flash drive or a CD. 

Remembering things? "A short pencil is better than a long memory" is my motto.

Remembering names seems to be a common problem among my coffee buddies.

I do crosswords and trivia.


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## Smiling Jane (Oct 14, 2017)

Hugh Downs made so much sense on this subject. He said our memory banks get fuller as we get older. It makes retrieval more difficult, wading through all of that.

It makes sense to work around our brains and give them a break as we get older. I've posted the contents of closets and cabinets on the inside of the doors so I don't have to root through them all the time. I was never much for lists, but I've found they're more helpful now. I keep an ongoing grocery list on my computer so I don't have to remember as much.

There are all kinds of devices to make it easier to remember when you've taken your medication and remind you when you need to. You might find something like this helpful:

https://www.amazon.com/Timer-Caps-S...507984803&sr=8-45&keywords=senior+health+pill


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## Don M. (Oct 14, 2017)

fuzzybuddy said:


> I One of the symptoms of it is that you can't remember people's names.



I've had trouble remembering people's names forever.  When I meet someone new, I try to write down their name, and something unique about them...at the first opportunity.  Then, if I meet them again, days or weeks later, I can think back to when we first met, and bring up the "image" of what I wrote down.  That seems to work, most of the time.  

The brain is much like a muscle...in that If you Don't use it, you Lose it.  As we get older, it is important to exercise our thought processes....be it with games, puzzles..whatever.


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## SeaBreeze (Oct 14, 2017)

I worry about it sometimes, hard not too since I lost my aunt on my mother's side to Alzheimer's Disease.  But realistically, I used to forget things when I was younger too, especially when preoccupied with work and busy multi-tasking.  I make lists now for shopping, I mark appointments or other important things on my wall calender, etc.  Also trying to use supplements in addition to my regular diet that help with memory like omega 3 fish oils, coconut oil, etc.


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## Camper6 (Oct 14, 2017)

Don M. said:


> I've had trouble remembering people's names forever.  When I meet someone new, I try to write down their name, and something unique about them...at the first opportunity.  Then, if I meet them again, days or weeks later, I can think back to when we first met, and bring up the "image" of what I wrote down.  That seems to work, most of the time.
> 
> The brain is much like a muscle...in that If you Don't use it, you Lose it.  As we get older, it is important to exercise our thought processes....be it with games, puzzles..whatever.



I'm sorry I don't agree that the brain is like a muscle because muscles don't have memory.

And if you don't let your brain get a rest by sleep you will go insane.

You are talking about quite a unique organ.  There's nothing like it in the body anywhere.  It controls everything.


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## Lon (Oct 14, 2017)

I am not afraid and doubt I will ever get it. I am prepared however. The new Assisted Living facility that I am moving to can have you move from one health care situation to another /Dementia/Alz etc. as needed.


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## fuzzybuddy (Oct 14, 2017)

I know that the disease has a genetic component.  No one in my family died from it, and my mom was 92. But still, when you are confronted with your own forgetfulness, it's in the back of my mind.


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## exwisehe (Oct 14, 2017)

Yes, I've had some worries about it, and because of my sleep apnea, I'm at a greater risk.

That’s why it is important to get the REM sleep (dreaming sleep).  I use a dental appliance some nights but mostly a BipAp machine that forces air into my airway.  From research, this could help lower my risk of dementia or slow its progress.

Three studies by researchers at Wheaton College in Illinois found significant connections between breathing disorders that interrupt sleep and the accumulation of biomarkers such as beta-amyloid deposits, for Alzheimer’s disease. 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/interrupted-sleep-may-lead-to-alzheimers-new-studies-show/2017/07/17/42fc3736-6b22-11e7-96ab-5f38140b38cc_story.html?utm_term=.a80c5628958e


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## Lethe200 (Oct 14, 2017)

You might find this article helpful:

*Five ways to improve your brainpower*
London Guardian U.S., 15 February 2015

It used to be thought that the brain was hardwired and that, unlike other organs, it could not repair itself or restore lost functions once damaged or diseased. Now we know that, in fact, the brain is neuroplastic – that activity and mental experience can be used to change the structure of the connections within it. These new principles are being used to radically improve, and even sometimes cure, some brain problems that were previously seen as irreversible – and some of them can also be used in everyday life to improve our brain’s health and performance. Here are five things to try.

Full article (free access): https://www.theguardian.com/lifeand...ways-to-improve-your-brainpower-norman-doidge


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## hearlady (Oct 14, 2017)

Yes, I definitely worry. My mother and my grandmother lived to be in their late nineties but they both had Alzheimer's starting with dementia around their eighties. There were signs before that, forgetfulness, nervousness.
I joke when I have my "senior moments" but it bothers me.
I just try to eat well and get sleep. I should do more brain exercises.
BTW, be sure to have your hearing checked. There are correlations between hearing loss and dementia.
My mother showed the most signs of dementia at the same time we noticed a hearing loss.
The brain needs stimulation from the senses.


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## Aunt Bea (Oct 15, 2017)

This may sound strange but consider the source, I'm thankful that I have enough other things wrong with me that I will be long gone before Alzheimer's and dementia can take over.

My mother always had a sharp tongue and a quick wit, she would give off the wall answers to questions that she considered foolish or annoying.   When she reached her 90's we used to have to tell her to play it straight and give the correct answers to her doctors and nurses.  We had a difficult time convincing a couple of folks that she really was _normal _and she was absolutely no help she thought that was just a riot!


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## hearlady (Oct 28, 2017)

My mother and grandmother, her mother, had dementia. My mother's was diagnosed as Alzheimer's. What I knew of Alzheimer's was it progressed  rapidly. My mother's started to show most around 80 but she lived to 96 and it progressed slowly. At the end she did not know her own children.
I am constantly trying to figure out links. My mother didn't like fish and rarely ate any but I don't know about my grandmother. 
My mother rarely took medicine not even an aspirin. After she already showed symptoms she was prescribed fossimax and a low dose antidepressant. She did have hearing loss symptoms at the same time as the dimentia was getting worse. Those symptoms are very similar.
She walked a lot through her life.
Anyway I think brain exercises are good and I especially look at diet and physical exercise.
I've been seeing things about coconut oil slowing it down but who knows what to believe on the internet.


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## hearlady (Oct 28, 2017)

Oh, one thing I'm fortunate about is I'm the youngest of 8 children. 
I can see health issues with my siblings to be prepared for and try to avoid. 
Two sisters had breast cancer with no family history. Because of that they were very diligent about watching me. I did get breast cancer and it was caught early.
I see my oldest sister and brother having signs of dementia and it's really hard. They are in their 70s. Just small things now like stories being told over again many times, forgetfulness. They're both physically healthy. It's sad.


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## Gary O' (Oct 28, 2017)

Aunt Bea said:


> This may sound strange but consider the source, I'm thankful that I have enough other things wrong with me that I will be long gone before Alzheimer's and dementia can take over.
> 
> My mother always had a sharp tongue and a quick wit, she would give off the wall answers to questions that she considered foolish or annoying.   When she reached her 90's we used to have to tell her to play it straight and give the correct answers to her doctors and nurses.  We had a difficult time convincing a couple of folks that she really was _normal _and she was absolutely no help she thought that was just a riot!


 reminds me of my gramma

at 97 she had a check up

her doctor said, 'Well, Bertha, yer lungs look good, yer heart looks good, kidneys look fine...'
she quips, ''You don't look so bad yerself, doc'

I'm into the NY Times crossword
Mondays are a snap
Tuesdays are..doable
come Thursday, I wait for Friday for the answers

Other'n that, I write
and work
hard

By the time my days is done, I am spent...cruise the web, die a little bit
Alzheimer's? psssh  
Not my first worry


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## SarahMiklich (Nov 9, 2017)

It is normal to start forgetting things as we age. It’s always a good idea to go for regular checkups and to take good care of yourself. Get involved with different social groups and make time for your friends and family.


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## Linda W. (Nov 17, 2017)

They've made progress on definitive tests. Back in the 1980's I remember that it was mostly just doctors asking questions and trying to piece together the symptoms kind of like detective work. But would you want to know ahead of time what your chances of having it in the future might be? Now, that is a tough one!

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive...edCenter&action=click&src=recg&pgtype=article


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## SeaBreeze (May 11, 2018)

Avoiding Alzheimer's with coconut oil, more info here.  



> They concluded that virgin coconut oil “showed potential neuroprotective effects.”
> From the study conclusion:Virgin Coconut Oil improves the health of the hippocampus  and improves memory and learning in Alzheimer and HFD model rats by  inhibiting inflammasome and reducing oxidative stress.
> ​*Virgin Coconut Oil Shows Better Results than Pharmaceutical Drugs in Treating Alzheimer’s*
> 
> ...


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## IKE (May 12, 2018)

I guess it's pretty much normal as we get older but it never ceases to amaze me how I can recall little things clearly that happened ump-teen years ago but I'd be hard pressed to tell you what I had for supper Tues. night.

I would really hate to put mama through dealing with me having Alzheimer's.


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## C'est Moi (May 12, 2018)

There are many types of dementia, all of them cruel.   No family history here, but I do worry about it occasionally when I "lose a word," or some other small memory.   I have read that it is not a big deal to forget a word...say you are having a conversation and a simple word like "fork" just disappears from the ole' memory bank.   The big deal comes when you see a fork and have no idea what it is.


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## Camper6 (May 12, 2018)

fuzzybuddy said:


> I'm 71. I do hard crossword and Sudoku puzzles every day. I'm on narcs for a severe spinal condition. I have dyslexia. One of the symptoms of it is that you can't remember people's names. I'm famous for that. And  I can't remember if I took my 4PM meds at 4:01PM.  I spend a lot of time looking for things I just had in my hand. So you wonder, is it just the getting old thing, and those other things. Since I've never gotten old before I wonder if Alzhiemmer  is in the cards?  Do you kind wonder, too?



Here's the thing.  If you cant remember the day, so what.  If you cant remember the time? So what?

If you cant remember the year or the season? You are in trouble.

Everyone loses stuff or can't remember where they put it.

That's not a sign of Alzheimers.


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## grannyjo (May 12, 2018)

I was in hospital last week and the Aged Care Nurse came around and gave me the dementia test.

I passed OK,  though I couldn't remember the exact date - I was one day out,  but I did remember the day, month and year - who I was,  where I was and the address she gave me to remember at the beginning of our conversation when she asked me later.


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## LoneRogue (May 16, 2018)

Wonder? Yes I wonder too from time to time. My wife declined with alzheimers for nearly 10 years it is not a pleasant thing to watch. Wondering I think is sensible. Try hard not to worry.


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