“I don’t know what is happening with me, I am just forgetting things all the time.
“’Let me give you an example, I left home to visit this office to take a letter and I figured I have the letter on me, as a matter of fact like I remember packing the letter. Turned up at the office and there is no letter and became frantic and thinking about rushing back home to get the letter. An hour later I remembered the letter was never given to me hard copy but it was soft copy. I got it printed and took it back to the office, whew!”
This sister has been telling me for a while that she seems to be forgetting simple things. She has just started working again and the work is somewhat time consuming and she has not yet adjusted to the new environment so she has concluded this could be a contributing factor.
“But I would not tell you a lie, this thing is beginning to worry me a lot. Like I know I am getting up in age but this is not something I expected, well not at this age, and I really want to stop and take stock because I am not ready for this,” she said sadly.
“I know I have been busy, busy for the past few weeks and it’s like I can’t seem to catch my bearings,” she added.
I asked her if she has been getting enough sleep.
“Well that may be an issue too because with this new job it is like I am thinking and overthinking so even when I am trying to sleep I am thinking about the work. And then these days the place is just so hot it is difficult to sleep at times,” she answered.
We both concluded that this could be a contributing factor to her forgetfulness and one must have the required sleep to be able to function properly.
“It makes me sad because in my younger days I had this tip-top memory and is like I don’t know what happened. If I am to be honest, I started to notice signs even before the new job but now like it is getting worse.
“I am going out and know I need my identification card and I would just forget it home thinking I packed it. I am going to the bank and forget my ATM card even though I know I am going to the ATM machine. Those are the things and it worries me somewhat,” she told me.
This sister is in her late forties and a mother of three. Two of her children are adults and the last in his early teens.
“I am just happy that I don’t have little children because then that would have indeed be serious problems.
“At times when I sit down and study back I am longing for the youthful years even if it is just for the memory. I remembered when I was young I would look at people my age as very old and thinking to myself that they should just stay home. Like how cruel!
“And now when I get signs of that thinking from the older folks it makes me really sad. I don’t know if the younger generation think that it is really cute to call an older woman ‘muds’ or’ aunty’ but I don’t like it. It just makes you feel so ancient and some of them don’t look that young themselves. So I question myself at times ‘Am I really looking that old?”, she offered a dry laugh.
I got where she was coming from with the handles given to women on the streets. We don’t ask for them nor do we accept them but they are given. I tend to ignore them at times.
“It is not nice and it does nothing for you. But in this life you have to be strong. Now that I am getting a bit forgetful, I would tell myself not to focus on those things but to focus on my memory which is important for my everyday survival.
“I do plan to monitor it and make changes, I know I have to sleep more and stop overthinking. Maybe I need to drink more water. because sometimes I do feel dehydrated. I know I have to be intentional about this because I am not getting younger and I want to be around, well not just around, around with all my faculties intact. So that is what I will be doing, I feel scared at times, I must admit but I have to fight this and do it quickly,” she vowed.
I couldn’t agree more. As we get older, we have to spend more time on and be intentional, as the sister said, with our health. After all, who doesn’t want to be around for a long time with all of their faculties intact? I am sure I am answering for all of us when I say “me”.
Just to give you some expert tips on ageing and memory loss, let me state that the Mayo Clinic has indicated that normal age-related memory loss doesn’t cause a significant disruption in your daily life.
Mild cognitive impairment
The clinic said this involves a notable decline in at least one area of thinking skills, such as memory, that’s greater than the changes of ageing and less than those of dementia. Having mild cognitive impairment doesn’t prevent you from performing everyday tasks and being socially engaged.
It was added that researchers and physicians are still learning about mild cognitive impairment. For many people, the condition eventually progresses to dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease or another disorder causing dementia.
For people with normal age-related memory loss, symptoms usually don’t progress much, and they don’t develop the spectrum of symptoms associated with dementia.
Also, many medical problems can cause memory loss or other dementia-like symptoms. Most of these conditions can be treated. Your doctor can screen you for conditions that cause reversible memory impairment.
Possible causes of reversible memory loss include:
● Medications. Certain medications or a combination of medications can cause forgetfulness or confusion.
● Minor head trauma or injury. A head injury from a fall or accident — even if you don’t lose consciousness — can cause memory problems.
● Emotional disorders. Stress, anxiety or depression can cause forgetfulness, confusion, difficulty concentrating and other problems that disrupt daily activities.
● Alcoholism. Chronic alcoholism can seriously impair mental abilities. Alcohol can also cause memory loss by interacting with medications.
● Vitamin B-12 deficiency. Vitamin B-12 helps maintain healthy nerve cells and red blood cells. A vitamin B-12 deficiency — common in older adults — can cause memory problems.
● Hypothyroidism. An underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism) can result in forgetfulness and other thinking problems.
● Brain diseases. A tumour or infection in the brain can cause memory problems or other dementia-like symptoms.
● Sleep apnea. Untreated sleep apnea can cause memory problems that improve with appropriate treatment.
When to see your doctor
If you’re concerned about memory loss, see your doctor. There are tests to determine the degree of memory impairment and diagnose the cause.
Your doctor is likely to ask you questions. It’s good to have a family member or friend along to answer some questions based on observations. Questions might include:
● When did your memory problems begin?
● What medications, including prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs and dietary supplements, do you take and in what doses?
● Have you recently started a new drug?
● What tasks do you find difficult?
● What have you done to cope with memory problems?
● How much alcohol do you drink?
● Have you recently been in an accident, fallen or injured your
head?
● Have you recently been sick?
● Do you feel sad, depressed or anxious?
● Have you recently had a major loss, a major change or stressful event in your life?
In addition to a general physical exam, your doctor will likely conduct question-and-answer tests to judge your memory and other thinking skills. He or she may also order blood tests, brain-imaging scans and other tests that can help identify reversible causes of memory problems and dementia-like symptoms.
You might be referred to a specialist in diagnosing dementia or memory disorders, such as a neurologist, psychiatrist, psychologist or geriatrician.
The importance of a diagnosis
Coming to terms with memory loss and the possible onset of dementia can be difficult. Some people try to hide memory problems, and some family members or friends compensate for a person’s loss of memory, sometimes without being aware of how much they’ve adapted to the impairment.
Getting a prompt diagnosis is important, even if it’s challenging. Identifying a reversible cause of memory impairment enables you to get appropriate treatment. Also, an early diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease or a related disorder is beneficial because you can:
Begin treatments to manage symptoms
Educate yourself and loved ones about the disease
Determine future care preferences
Identify care facilities or at-home care options
Settle financial or legal matters
Sisters let’s take care of our health. As the saying goes, we are not getting younger.
