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.
DeleteI don't claim to be an expert, but those things are definitely positive signs.
DeleteI should also mention that your writing here certainly doesn't show any suggestion of mental decline.
DeleteInfidel: I've always been good at writing, so that doesn't necessarily mean I'm mentally okay.
DeleteMy MIL had dementia. She would not remember if she had lunch so she might eat lunch three times a day. My FIL finally persuaded her that 1:00 was lunch time so she only ate then. Tricks like that can help.
ReplyDeleteI have the type of incidents you described but I am sure I don't have dementia--yet.
My doctor tests me every year. The primary tests are to remember a few minutes later the three words she gave me and to draw a clock and set the time to 11:10.
Linda
Linda: Eating lunch three times a day, that's crazy! I could pass those two primary tests okay. The weirdest thing is if you forget you've already done something, like visiting the doctor.
DeleteDementia is my fear. Horrible disease. Neither parent had it. Both died from cancer. I pray I will be spared of both.
ReplyDeletePaula: A horrible disease indeed. And it can go on for years before you finally die.
DeleteI hear ya. My grandpa had it, as does my dad and now my brother who is 2 years younger than I am was diagnosed with early dementia.
ReplyDeleteMary: Yes, your family has been hit hard. Very sorry about your brother, getting it at such an early age.
DeleteThe truth is, you would need to be well into dementia before you didnt know what a coaster is for.
ReplyDeleteJenny might find it hard to recognise because people's quirks tend to exaggerate a bit in early dementia so the question becomes "is this normal for Nick?" And its a hard question to answer.
Loss of sense of smell can be an early warning.
Loss of spatial awareness is also an early sign: having trouble parking or being unable to park straight might be early symptoms.
I also fear dementia, its terrifying.
Go get assessed, Nick. If you do go down hill, a good idea of your baseline will be useful
Kylie: "Is this normal for Nick?" is a good test. I lost my sense of smell decades ago so that probably doesn't mean very much. Certainly my spatial awareness isn't very good, and I have a lot of trouble parking. The exaggerated quirks thing is something to bear in mind.
DeleteBoth of my parents had vascular dementia. I've spent a lot of time reading books and listening to podcasts by doctors on the topic. Prevention involves making sure your hearing and vision are being corrected, eating a healthy diet (Mediterranean is best), exercising (including balance and strength training) and getting 7-9 hours of sleep per night. Socializing and cognitive activities (such as learning new things) are also important.
ReplyDeleteBijoux: I do all the things you mention there, though I probably don't socialise enough. Hopefully my lifestyle habits will stave it off, but as I said my mother had dementia for a couple of years before she died, so I might have inherited it.
DeleteBoth my mother and her grandmother had dementia. I am fine. Dave's mother, grandmother, and uncle had dementia. Dave is fine. We are 78 and 79 years old. Inheritance is NOT guaranteed.
ReplyDeleteLinda
Linda: No, hopefully I don't take after my mother. And she didn't get dementia till she was in her mid-nineties.
DeleteAs we age, Nick, the fears you mentioned here become more worrisome. I suspect that my mother may have developed some form of “forgetfulness” before her death which was in her 90s. Keeping active mentally and getting outdoors as often as possible have helped me sorry a bit less.
ReplyDeleteBeatrice: As you say, these worries seem to become stronger as we age. Yes, all we can do is be as active as possible and hope for the best.
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