Senior Moments

Not quiet the same but if something is "on the tip of my tongue" I go through the alphabet in my head and usually remember when I get to the initial letter, especially works for peoples names.

I don't have a partner but that often happens with me and my daughter - exactly as you say, I seem to remember the first letter then she gets the answer.

Just the same with us! I will go through the alphabet and picture the face of the person, then I will say "it begins with A" or whatever and nearly always the name will come to us.
Although sometimes it is hours later and I will call out the name.. It will suddenly pop into my mind.

No, have never done this, usually, neither of us can remember. I am pretty good with names though, and he is good with faces.We can hardly ever remember the plots of all the tv serials we watch, and soon forget books we have read over the years ( have ordered more than one book for my Kindle that I then find I have already read.)
I am hopeless at remembering numbers, car reg. or ohone numbers of family and friends.

Exactly the same as tassiegran.

Only without picturing the person, as I am face-blind.

My memory seems to be visual. When we are searching for an actors name I can usually say something like "I can see him in a uniform. He's playing a villain or I can picture him in Coronation St". I just love being able to google to satisfy our curiosity. Meanwhile we are missing the programme we are watching!

Haha, that's me. Trying to remember an actress's name, I went through the alphabet for 3 days before I remembered her name is Cameron Diaz. (It usually takes me just a few minutes) so I was a bit worried that my memory was failing me. ?

Thank you, thank you, thank you! So I am normal and not going senile after all! We do the same - I chant the alphabet to myself phonetically and he remembers the name. Happens regularly, like daily. Often several times.

I’m always rearranging sentences as I speak too as I completely forget common words, but can remember and (it seems) use more obscure ones correctly.

The alphabet is the way to go.
I sent my husband to the bank yesterday to pay in some money but didn’t put the money in!!

It can take me days to remember names nowadays.

Do I come here often?

OldMeg .
I am the same with names of people and of plants, which is infuriating. I have a book in which I write them when they come to mind, as it is often the same ones for which I have a mental block.

At least your comments help me feel I am not altogether alone,as this forgetting names,even when in a full flow conversation at times is truly embarrassing.
Of course the dreaded Dementia jumps readily to mind and yet amongst us slightly older members,it does seem rife.
So my mind has been made somewhat lighter.
My husband suffers much the same and yes we too can usually work together and eventually fill in the blanks!!

Not only do I forget names but sometimes I am talking to my dh and I can't think of the word I want. My mind just seems to go blank.

If going through the alphabet doesn’t work,I try to recall how many syllables the person’s name has. Helps to jog my memory.

We have strange conversations such as "You know the one...he was going out with that woman from xxxx before he married that nice one with the blonde hair from xxxx. He used to be in that programme, can't remember what it was about..."!

Gosh, I'm an alphabetist too. It's so common here that I must have read about it somewhere originally. It certainly works for me on most occasions. It actually fascinates me a lot in that when I'm alphabetalising I begin to pause or hover around the relevant letter. Why? How on earth does that work? Interested to hear any theories, please.

I do the same. I watch Pointless and go through the alphabet to remember all sorts of things, including names.

shysal I have that problem with a few plants - why can I never remember (stopping to look them up) astrantia and agapanthus and eupatorium, but can remember pretty much all the others?

Nfk Dumpling; No way are you going senile if you can remember a nickname like that!

But can you remember how you came by it? That would be the test!

However, don't talk to me about senility. When I was in my 80's everybody was watching me for signs of senility, but now I'm in my 90's everybody assumes automatically that AM senile..

Fortunately I've still got most of my marbles and an excellent memory to prove them wrong, (except when I can't find my postings!), but a lot of other things don't work as well.
That's life I suppose
Good Health.

I find that my memory is getting worse. Often I can recall the first name only and the surname is added by a visitor. I love doing quizzes so it is exasperating.
As for practical things like keys I make sure these are in the same place in the house. When I go out I put my house keys in the LEFT pocket as I have LEFT the house and my car keys in my RIGHT pocket as I have the RIGHT to drive.

Yes definitely with the rest of you, going through alphabet, picturing a person, etc , I was getting paranoid. Apparently if we are aware we are forgetting things , then it’s not too serious, just part of ageing?or maybe?

Not senior moment at all. The most forgetful people are teenagers.

More worrying to me is that as well as forgetting words (especially names) I sometimes come out with a completely unrelated word -I know immediately it's wrong and correct it but it's a bit embarrassing. I have to make a joke of it!