Short-term memory......?‍♀️

My phone diary is an absolute blessing, use it all the time...

I once heard an expert on dementia on R4 saying that people often got very worried if e.g. they couldn’t remember where they’d left their car in the car park.

He went on to say that the time to worry is when you get into the car and have forgotten how to drive it!

Taking of car parks, though, when I changed my car recently (old one was 21!) I purposely picked a relatively stand-out colour, to help prevent any such angst.

I hadn’t really thought about it until I was car hunting, but the vast majority of cars now seem to be black, white, silver and various shades of grey. While waiting at a bus stop recently, I counted passing cars - 40 in those colours, and only 4 that weren’t.

You have no idea what comfort your posts have given me. I have never been good at remembering names but now it is ridiculous. Cannot remember really famous actors names so ask dh and he has trouble as well. Also forget the characters names on Corrie although have been watching it since 1960.
I am 79 and will soon be 80. Wear myself out going upstairs and coming down wandering what I went for. Losing things and finding them in places I don’t remember putting them. When neighbours’ Christmas cards arrive I write the family names down in my address book. Have to do that to avoid using the wrong name when I see them.

I had the lightbulb moment last night and posted it up thread......... it was a T-shirt!! ?‍♀️?

Ps that's your brain teaser for today sorted, Shinamae - re-writing your shopping list until it adds up to £19.
Have fun

I don't know why I keep them all!

I tend to keep receipts if it’s an electrical item or an item that cost a lot of money but for just a general shop I don’t keep them

I didn’t keep the receipt

I always keep receipts and have to have shredding sessions every so often to get rid of unnecessary ones.

When I say always there are always a very important one or two which go missing.

Going through the alphabet works for me too!
I must try the speaking out loud Peasblossom.

T shirt!! ?‍♀️

Because I have been having problems similar those above, my doctor sent me to have a Cognitive Assessment. I happily went along thinking it would pinpoint my problems and a solution could be found, only to find out it was similar to the one Donald had aced!

I went to Tesco’s a couple of hours ago, just looked on my online banking and apparently I spent just over £19 down there and I’ve been racking my brains what I spent £19 on and I just can’t get it and I didn’t keep the receipt so that’s going to keep me awake tonight!..?? The stuff I can remember buying doesn’t come anywhere near £19 but hopefully I’ll have a lightbulb moment at some point and realise what it was..?

I'm approaching 71 years. I have been so worried about my short term memory that I contacted the doctor, had blood tests, etc. (normal), and am waiting for a follow-up consultation.

I have had a lot of stress lately and can perhaps put it down partly to that but, if I'm absolutely honest, my short term memory was deteriorating before that.

I wonder if it is because I live so much in the past - constantly recalling old memories and conversations. I know it's not a good thing but can't seem to stop doing it.

Bluecat
That always amazes me too, but I would immediately suspect the person with the ready alibi!

Chestnut

Apparently learning a new skill exercises your brain very well as you are opening new neural pathways.
To be honest, doing your family history works your brain like a demon as you have to keep puzzling over things, how to trace people and their lives. The answer is nearly always to be found no matter how difficult some people are to identify. You just have to have a problem solving mind. It really stretches the old grey matter!

Chestnut but how come I can remember all their names and relationships over a couple of hundred years, (all sides of the family) even though I haven't done much research for a couple of years but I forget the names of people we know?

I do find if I can't remember the name of a person we know, it helps to go through the alphabet.

And I have difficulty remembering the names of plants and shrubs now but I never used to.

Is my brain too full of useless information?

Thank you for the thread Shinamae. Very reassuring to know I am normal.
I can relate to many of the posts.
My OH can read very complicated books and remember every detail but for dinner has the little trees or spears ( broccoli or asparagus) as he can never remember the correct name.
We keep a note of what we have for dinner each night so that we vary it, as its difficult to remember.

No TN6 not particularly stressed about anything thankfully...?

I would see your GP just to put your mind at risk, I know I was like that when I was looking after my dad with Alzheimer’s he lived with us, and sometimes I’d be so stressed I could stand in the middle of a room and think what on earth have I come into here for, memory would just go, Are you stressed Op

Dirgni I sometimes get that as well....I do think there is a lot to be said for information overload as well, we are bombarded daily from TV,radio,phones, computers everywhere..... The people who have replied to this thread have alleviated a lot of my fears I have to say.....??

I’m really worried because just lately l can be talking to someone and l know what I want to say but can’t think of the word

PS I'm early 70s

Names completely elude me. A few weeks ago on my permitted exercise I met a couple I've known for years, our children were in school together. I still have not remembered their first names although I can remember their surnames. When I see repeats of TV programmes I find I've forgetten chunks of them. No book group at the moment but I was beginning to think I should make notes of the main characters as I often couldn't remember important points. Sometimes I find I can't find the word or phrase I need to describe something even though I know it's there somewhere in my brain and I know what I want to say. These days I make mistakes doing recipes that I've done for years. Also silly mistakes when knitting. I want to use up some of my stock of fabrics to make some new clothes (I used to be an experienced and skilled dressmaker) but I've lost confidence in my ability to do this.

Reassuring to read the other posts, thank you Shinamae for this post.

My bedroom is attached to my lounge as I moved it downstairs so my son and his girlfriend could have my bedroom as a lounge upstairs so when I start to forget that I will be seriously worried! ?‍♀️?l used to knit when I was about 15,haven’t knitted for years but that jumper is beautiful.? Also I do occasionally take sleeping tablets and they do really affect my memory the next day but I can go weeks without taking a sleeping tablet and still get the memory problem. This thread has actually been very reassuring so thank you all ?????..Also I believe antidepressants can have an effect on the memory...

The times I have opened the boiler cupboard to put my hot milk there to heat up ..... the microwave is next to it ????

Does anyone get up in the night and get confused as to which bedroom you are In?