Serious question here for people of a certain age.

[LeftyFingerPop]

For those of you who are, say, above 45....

Did you experience a noticeable drop in your memory and/or cognitive abilities when you reached your late 40's?

I'm 51...

I went to a well respected university with a difficult curriculum, and graduated near the top of my class. Now, I can barely remember my name some days, and that is not too far from the truth.

I'm on a lot of meds now, so I'm sure that has something to do with it, and I always hear people my age saying how their memory is going bad.

What is your experience?

Thanks...I'll just sit back and read if anyone responds to this...

[pitohui]

1. yeah there's a sudden drop in yr ability to learn/recall new info at around age 45

nobody wants to acknowledge it because that age group is still in the job market and it's a harsh world but it is what it is

however "barely remember your own name" is outside normal age-related cognitive/memory decline

i would complain to yr doctors and see if they can adjust yr meds because there IS such a thing as "chemo fog" -- memory loss/cognitive loss caused by medications

if you still have a long term memory -- can still learn complex new activities -- then it's prob. normal but the only way to test yourself is to push yourself in an intellectual hobby and see if you're actually making progress (at first you will think you don't remember ANYTHING but after awhile you'll realize that you do if you're normal)

when people are talking abt middle aged memory decline it's more things like you don't remember where your hat is (and it's on your head), you can't find your glasses (yet they're on the string around your neck) and you can't remember a 7 digit phone number that's new to you -- that's normal

can't remember own name, can't do a complicated LONG TERM intellectual task is NOT normal -- at the end of the day inventing a new mathematical language may be something you had to do before age 27 BUT writing a great novel tends to be something that's done in middle age and if you really can't even recall basics like own name, there's something wrong like pernicious anemia (get tested, the sooner it's treated the sooner you can stop the progress of the disease) or early onset Alzheimer's or who the hell knows what, but it's serious

"chemo" fog (caused by too much medication, "menopause fog" caused by changing hormones -- that's normal and you can cope and can come back and achieve again just by having little crutches to help your short term memory -- ALWAYS put your keys down in the same place when you get home, right? :-)

a friend of mine will be getting her doctorate in her 60s, believe me, you can work around and achieve in middle age or older, but keep tabs on what's going on intellectually in case you're getting fucked over by a bad mix of medications

[LeftyFingerPop]

2. Thank you...

for your reasonable and thoughtful response. :)

[OffWithTheirHeads]

10. Sorry, at 59 I find that I prioritize what I choose to remember

I remember things that are important. I don't remember things like who won the Amazing Race.

I have been doing this for many years. My mind simply has no interest or space for irrelevent bullshit. The things that are really important I have no problem with.

I use my limited remaining braincells on things I consider important, like my golf swing instead of Tiger's blond, blue eyed conquests

[femmocrat]

3. Yes, it started in my 40s.

I was in grad school though and attibuted a lot of it to mental overload.

I have a terrible memory now. I have to park my car in the same place (at work or the mall) or I won't remember where I parked.
I can't remember my cell phone number. I never bothered to learn the phone numbers of my kids or other family. I am always misplacing items and walking into rooms with no idea why I'm there. I constantly make lists and write myself notes.

Yet, I'm flooded with memories of high school and college. Makes no sense.

[OffWithTheirHeads]

11. Sounds like why I stopped smoking pot.

No disrespect meant but really, I couldn't remember why I walked into a room. Switched to Vodka and now I don't care.

[femmocrat]

39. LOL, at least you can blame it on something !

I have no excuse! :rofl:

[Flying Dream Blues]

42. LOL! And a sense of humor helps me deal with the

fact I can't remember anything. :)

[Catshrink]

4. Yeah...

I've noticed the onset of CRS lately. (Maybe I'm just overly tired though.)

[MrScorpio]

5. To tell you the truth...

Uh..., What was the question again?

[Skittles]

14. I WILL KICK YOUR ASS AND REPEAT THE QUESTION MR SCORPIO

YES INDEED

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

6. Wait, what did your post say?

I couldn't remember it long enough to respond.

But seriesly....

Yes. I used to be pretty smart, graduated law school with honors. Now I can't remember where I left my car keys; I forget appointments unless I write them down; and have to work twice as hard to get half as much done. I often feel absent-minded and dumb, but I'm just old. Guess it happens to everybody, but it sucks.

On the other hand, I know this guy who just got a Ph.D. at the age of 84. However, I think he started out way smarter than most people.

[emilyg]

7. Yes.

I can remember what I wore 25 years ago but can't sometimes remember what I ate yesterday.

[BrklynLiberal]

8. I think it is because as we get older, our memory banks get fuller...therefore

A. Some stuff sort of falls off the back end when it gets pushed out b y the new stuff.

B. While we had random access when we were younger we must settle for sequential access now.
It is much slower.
I find myself going thru the alphabet very often in my quest to recall certain things.
Strangely enough, it usually works. It seems that I just have to tap into the right memory area and
the information becomes available.

[Red State Rebel]

21. I agree, the file drawers in my brain are full!

I can tell you the lyrics to every song in the 60's but don't ask me what I had for lunch yesterday...it's sad....

[ROFF]

9. I noticed a change at about 60.

But it is not really a problem if you are willing to make some changes. I record information that I may need in the future using Keychain Access in Mac OS X. Passwords, serial numbers, how to do stuff like rip DVD's and the like. Stuff that I don't use or do on a regular basis.

For daily stuff, I make lists. Like what I need to pickup when I go to the store.
My main problem area is where did I put that tape measure five minutes ago? Or where do they keep the _________? Changing work habits helps in this area.

I'll be 65 this year and have a wife that is a real help to me. Together, as we age, we help each other with gentle reminders of what the other may have forgotten. And she is a second pair of eyes when I am driving. THAT really helps.

[Tobin S.]

12. Jesus, I'm 37 and I have some of the problems of the posters in this thread

But now that I think about it I've always been like that. When I was a teen-ager and worked on cars a lot I would sometimes forget where I placed a tool and start looking all over for it when I was actually carrying it in my left hand. But I don't have any problem recalling the memory of that long ago little, insignificant event. When I used to smoke, I would sometimes light up a cigarette only to discover another half spent one burning and sitting in the ash tray. I really struggle sometimes when reading. Sometimes I will be conscious of reading the previous 5 pages of a book, but I won't be able to tell you what they said and I have to go back and re-read them. Strange for a guy who has decent writing skills and wants to be an author someday, eh?

I've taken off for work many times and forgotten my lunch- also, my cell phone. I forgot my mom and step-dad's birthdays this year- January 12th and 18th. A long time friend of mine is always talking about the crazy stuff we did when we were kids, but I don't remember half of it. I sometimes forget appointments, even serious ones like with doctors. I've made a habit of carrying their remind cards in my wallet where I have to look at them every time I pay for something.

Maybe it's not too much to be concerned about. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that I think about things a lot and get absorbed in myself. These past few months have been a time of psychological turmoil for me and I've been more forgetful than usual. Maybe that's the case with you, too, LFP.

[Skittles]

13. no, haven't noticed anything like that

but then I never really ever had a good memory :D

[murielm99]

15. That didn't happen to me until after I had my thyroid

killed with radioactive iodine. Then I started synthroid, a drug I hate. It makes me fat, forgetful and cold. I hope to change to another medication.

I have overcome some of this by doing crossword puzzles, playing word games and reading a lot.

But I blank on names. And when I watch Jeopardy! i can't come up with the answers right away when they are proper names. For example, I once blanked on Nicole Kidman's name for a couple of days. I refused to go look it up. I played around in my head with things associated with her until I remembered it on my own. Now I doubt that I will ever forget her name again. It may not seem all that important to remember a movie star's name, but I am trying to keep my brain active and sharp.

I am 61. My husband is 65. That does not seem to be happening with him.

[velvet]

16. Yes , to some extent

But consider this ... a doctor once told my aged aunt that forgetting things and the names of things or people is no big deal, it's when you forget what things are for that you have a problem.

[madmom]

17. AHH this thread is so depressing to me. I have noticed that I forget some things, but the depressing

part is, I was seriously thinking about going back to school. I am 55 and always regret that I never went to college. I have been thinking about doing an on-line program from a near by community college. Now I'm afraid I won't be able to cut it (to be honest that fear has always been there, but now more so):-(

[Tobin S.]

19. Don't let that deter you from at least trying

Take it easy at first with a few basic classes then move up from there if you think everything will be okay. I was in school at a 4 year college about 7 years ago (I was 30) and I saw some people there who were older, some of them probably even retired. You won't know unless you try. :thumbsup:

[nolabear]

28. Believe it or not, it probably won't hurt that.

Though it's strange to have anomia (can't recall the names of things) it's likely you'll do just fine with things you really work to learn and reinforce. I know many people who have gone back to school in middle or old age and they're thoughtful, experienced students whose perspective and pleasure in the task far outweighs any memory issues.

[datasuspect]

18. i smoke too much goddamned weed

so i am a mental albatross most days, but my charm and personality make up for any cognitive deficit.

[logosoco]

20. I am just now 45 and I have "memory" issues.

I think all the information is there, it's just harder to get at because there is more and more info. put in as time goes by.
I am currently taking an algebra class, and it has been good exercise for my brain. But I have to have lots of index cards to help me remember what to do and when I should do it.
I have also become anal about everything having a place and it must be returned to that place. My husband is not on the bandwagon with this. He still sets things down randomly and I say "Are you going to remember where this is the next time you need it?". He is 52.
One thing I have noticed that has become very bad...I can meet a person, and an hour later, if you put that person in a room with 20 other people, I would not recognize them.

[madamesilverspurs]

22. Well, at 61 I keep post-it notes in business.

They get stuck on any surface where I'm likely to see them -- mirror, fridge, steering wheel, TV, laptop, coffee pot, cell phone; sometimes they accumulate on my doorpost and fly off like butterflies when I open the door. I've been known to put one inside my cereal bowl for the next morning, reminding me of an appointment. I'm very good at putting things on the calendar, but lousy at remembering to consult said calendar.

But I can remember, with vivid clarity, my brother and me playing with our inflatable shmoos when I was 18 months old.


---

[RedCrayons]

23. Yup

My memory started fading just as I needed bifocals to read. More than coincidence???

[Tobin S.]

24. Welcome to DU!

It's good to have you here. :toast:

[RedCrayons]

44. Thanks, Tobin S.!

[dugaresa]

25. keep in mind that the older we get the great the time period we have to remember

and so we forget things, that is normal.

Medications make things worse and so does alcohol consumption.

Keeping your mind active also helps with memory, however if you are concerned talk to your doctor.

A member of my family is nearly 90 and is sharp as a tack, and yet I know 20 year olds who can't remember anything.

[MiddleFingerMom]

26. Pfffttt. "Serious" question? Goldfish & I have 3-sec short-term memories.

.

.

[nolabear]

27. Shrink here...you're probably perfectly normal.

Yeah, it makes you crazy doesn't it? I'm 55 now and began to notice it about 5 years back. And it's normal aging, probably. The things I hear about most and the research supports is that one forgets names, nouns, has to write down appointments and such, forgets what you do with things, has to have those memories cued and then they come back. My forehead's been slapped so many times it's growing a horn. It feels as if things don't quite get past the foyer, iykwim, and you remember them again once they get reinforced a bit.

I can still recall in great detail what my patients tell me but I have to write down every time when they change an appointment time or ask for some paperwork or something.

A colleague wrote, and I think with great accuracy--it's okay if you forget where you parked the car, and even if you don't totally remember parking the car (common dissociation for the distracted), but if you find yourself forgetting what a car is or how you got to the mall, you need to get checked out.

Hang in there. It's this kind of thing that gives us the wisdom and humility we need to excel in other areas.

[Blue_In_AK]

29. I'm 63, and mine is still pretty good,

but every once in a while I can't come up with the name of some celebrity or political figure whose face I can picture clearly. The way I look at it, by the time you get to be "of a certain age," you've crammed so much information into your brain that it makes sense that you might have to sift through a lot of stuff to get to what you're looking for. Kind of like a stuffed file cabinet.

I don't worry about it.

[av8rdave]

30. I noticed starting mid to late 40s that I misplace things more

That's about it.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

34. Just don't forget where you parked the plane.

[av8rdave]

37. LOL no worries

The big stuff is easy. It's the little things - car keys, cell phones, combs, etc. that cause me trouble. Thank God I don't have to carry keys for the plane!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

38. "Good morning, folks. This is your captain speaking. We'll be departing shortly,

but, er... there might be just a little delay. I, uh, can't seem to find my plane keys..." Indeed, it's a good thing it doesn't work that way.

[rug]

31. Didn't you post this last week?

[DainBramaged]

32. No, in spite of being on lots of meds myself for serious illness

From model buildng to computer building I've to strived to keep my mind active. PC gaming HAS kept my reflexes and mind sharp. I drink lots of green tea, and limit high fructose corn syrup intake. I don't drink (occasionally I will celebrate with a nip) and I simply try to stay away from red meat.


It's worked for me and I'm almost 59.

[BuelahWitch]

33. I have to make lists now when I get ready to go to the store

And sometimes I'll go into a room and forget what I wanted there. It's not so bad after about 5pm. I'm much worse in the morning.
My grandmother had a really good memory till the end of her life at 67. She always knew where everything was and had a really quick mind.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

35. I don't think there's much memory loss

but the memory sure slows down.

I open the fridge to get a soda. There's none there.

So I go to the basement to get some soda. But there's the litter box that needs cleaning.

So I walk to where the trash bags are, and there are none. That's ok, I have some in the garage.

Go to the garage and notice that critters had made a mess of the garbage can.

Clean up the garbage can, go in the house to wash my hands.

This is thirsty work, so I go to the fridge to get a soda. Dang.

:hi:

wait, no, that's the "short attention span" problem.

Ok, I open the fridge to get a soda. There's none there.

So I go to the basement to get some soda. When I get there I look around and wonder what I came down here for.

I can't remember, so I go back upstairs empty handed. Knowing it will come to me sooner or later.

That's the memory problem.

It's fun getting "seasoned".

[pink-o]

36. For me, I feel as if my brain now moves slower and processes less efficiently.

I just turned 55, and I've never been anything close to brilliant (every IQ test I take scores me around 115) but in my youth I had the quickest mind of anyone I knew. I could grasp concepts before someone had even finished explaining them to me, I could remember anything you told me even once, and I got by because I was an auditory learner and had a great vocabulary. People always thought I was smarter than I really was.

Now I find my grasp of concepts has slowed down significantly. And by the time I think of a solution to a challenge, those around me already have it up and running! I'm like that Star Trek episode, where some people are in the speed dimension, and others are barely moving. It's so frustrating!

And on top of that, I also have the memory issue--which is really a concentration and focus issue. If you command yourself to remember something, chances are you will. But in this multi-tasking world, just one little distraction and you're on autopilot. Then you think back to where you might have put your IPhone or your car keys, and you actually have no memory of the gesture itself, even if you find the items in their proper place. I started doing that about 4 years ago; initially it scared me, but now I'm used to it.

And as for this thread, far from depressing me, you all are making me feel a helluva lot better about my poor old brain! As I described myself earlier, I put all my mental eggs in one basket, relying on skills that've distinctly deteriorated. Age changes us, so instead of mourning what I lost, I'm gonna find new ways of using my brain, and continue to play mind games to keep the ones I have.

Thanks for making me feel normal! That doesn't happen very often.

[Capn Sunshine]

40. my wife: "where the hell are my glasses?"

"on your head, babe" "Oh... right ":)
I often find myself looking for my car keys when they're in my jacket pocket..and I used to be able to remember specific lists of like ten items....beyond three now, I have to write it down.

[Moondog]

41. Yep.

Multiple graduate and professional degrees here, from very well known schools.

I used to have damned near photographic memory. Which is, in large measure, how I managed to earn those degrees.

Still in my 50s, but that ability began to noticeably fade away several years ago. And it gets progressively worse. And my old contemporaries, with whom I maintain contact, tell me that they are having the same experience.

Bottom line - don't feel like the Lone Ranger. It happens to many, if not all, of us. Sooner or later. To a greater or lesser degree.

And I, for one, fucking well hate it.

[Lindsey]

43. Definitely. I'm 52 and I have to write everything down or I

simply won't remember. I also can't find stuff. I got a call from one of my childhood friends and she was talking about her aches & pains (as I was). We were born two weeks apart. She said something about being 53! We don't turn 53 until August of this year so she didn't even know she's still 52-LOL! And I thought my son was 35 but he's still 34 until December (he had to remind me of this fact).

[MiddleFingerMom]

45. Seriously...

.
...I couldn't remember whether I had posted here the last
time it came around.
.
:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
.
.
Not really that funny.
.