Seniors Health and Wellness Institute
has over 44 different workshops that we give but one of the most requested workshops
is a workshop on Memory and Ageing. As we age many of us are nervous when we
start to forget things. We could forget where we put our glasses, our keys or
why we walked into a room. As we get older, we believe that being forgetful or
having bad eyesight, hearing is often associated with ageing. What we don’t
think about is that these attributes are so often stereotypes of ageing and are
a subtle form of ageism.
Having said that there can be times to
think about getting help for yourself or a loved one when memory and
forgetfulness becomes a problem. In order to understand what is normal memory
loss and what type of memory loss requires attention we start on a journey to find
as much information as possible.
Common age-related memory lapses
aren’t the same thing as having Alzheimer’s or other types of dementia. If you
or your loved one exhibits any of the following behaviours it may be a time to
consider getting help. Someone without Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia
is certainly capable of any of these behaviours. It’s the frequency with
which memory lapses happen and the degree to which these lapses make
life unsafe that you want to watch out for. You or they:
· leave things unfinished.
· get lost in familiar places.
· are unable to recall recent conversations.
· leave the stove on after cooking a meal, or forget
they’re cooking and let the food burn.
· blank on familiar information, like street
names and names of people they know.
· end up in places and can’t recall how they got
there.
· regularly make mistakes on things like paying
bills and filling out forms.
· don’t remember instances when their memory
impairment caused a problem.
· forget words or repeat phrases or stories in
the same conversation.
· show uncharacteristically poor social behaviour
or lapse in judgment.
If you have a loved one or you find
that you have a large frequency of the above occurring, then what do you do? It’s
completely expected and understandable that you want to continue to function
normally for as long as possible, so you or they may be in denial that their
memory loss is a cause for serious concern.
If you feel you have to talk to a
loved one about memory loss, approach them about their memory care with love, patience,
understanding and good intention. Try to avoid confrontation; be aware that
their memory loss is just as difficult for them to handle as it is for you, if
not more.
If you have been approached by a loved
one about your memory loss try to remember that they are talking to you out of
love and concern so be willing to listen. I end the workshop with this thought.
Remember, if you are concerned about your memory loss that is normal, but if
others are concerned about your memory and you don’t think you have a memory
problem, then you need to listen and to act.
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