I’m afraid I’ll get dementia.
I’m afraid I already have dementia.
I can see all the signs.
I fumble for words.
I lose my train of thought.
I have trouble concentrating.
I forget people’s names.
I feel vague and confused.
I don’t feel I’m fully functioning.
I forget how to do things.
I don’t understand what people are saying.
But maybe all those things happen to other people too.
Maybe they just mean we’re fallible human beings.
Maybe I hope for perfect behaviour and can’t accept it’s
normal to fall short.
My mother had dementia.
My mother and father in law both had dementia.
So I’m not confident I’ll dodge it.
Dementia affects one in six people over the age of
80 in the UK.
I’ll be 80 next year.
I don’t want Jenny to have to look after me for years as
dementia worsens.
I don’t want to end up a gormless shadow of my former self.
I don’t want my life to end in such wretchedness.
But dementia strikes at random.
There’s nothing I can do to stop it.
No vaccine.
No drugs.
No surgery.
All I can do is hope to be spared.
Same. I stared at a coaster yesterday and couldn’t remember what it was called for about 2 minutes.
ReplyDeleteAnd I’m younger than you!
Sx
Ms Scarlet: As Sandra suggests below, the real test is whether you know what the coaster is for.
DeleteForgetfulness is normal aging, most have it to one degree or another. When it becomes worrisome is when you don't know what a coaster is, not that you don't remember what it's called. Not I don't know why I came in the room, but what is this room. Where am I? I had a brain injury 15 years ago and had blocks of memory erased. But not what something is or where I am. I'm also forgetting words and I can't tell you how many times during the day I forget what I'm looking for and have to wait a minute to remember.
ReplyDeleteSandra: Those are good distinctions, and I haven't made any confusions of that sort, which is encouraging. But my memory is so poor I do wonder if it's a sign of something more.
DeleteI think true dementia is unmistakable. It may not be obvious to the person suffering from it, because they lose the very mental acuity they need to identify it, but to others around them it is pretty apparent. There are also tests that can be done. A doctor would know. So it may be possible to find out for sure whether you are at immediate risk.
ReplyDeleteTrue, there is no cure in a strict sense, but it's known that mentally-challenging activities such as reading, writing, puzzles, and suchlike can fend it off, at least in some people.
Infidel: Yes, I guess anyone who sees me regularly would notice if I seemed to have dementia. Jenny doesn't think I have the slightest sign of dementia. And I do a lot of reading and a lot of puzzles.
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