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Signs of the Times Australia / NZ edition — lifestyle, health, relationships, culture, spirituality, people — published since 1886 |
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Signs of the Times Australia / NZ edition — lifestyle, health, relationships, culture, spirituality, people — published since 1886 |
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Q: I’m a 57-year-old mature-age student at university. I find it hard to remember what I’ve been taught. English isn’t my first language. But it isn’t the language that’s difficult, rather, it’s my ability to make sense of what read. I sometimes read a paragraph over many times. I’ve also twice lost consciousness. The other day I got lost going to the shops and didn’t know how to find my way home. I felt distressed, as I walk the same route every day. I had an excellent memory when I was younger. What’s happening to me?
A: As people get older it’s normal to experience change in memory ability. Older people report that it takes longer to learn new information; that they struggle to recall or retrieve something that they know; and that they have “tip-of-the-tongue” experiences. They also have difficulty remembering names; remembering where they’ve put things; go into a room and forget what it is they came to get or say.
When these things happen to younger people (and they do), they tend to blame it on lack of attention or effort. As people get older, however, they tend to blame memory difficulties on their age and wonder if they’re experiencing signs of dementia or senility. The truth is, the majority of older people will not face severe memory loss and will not develop dementia. Dementia (such as Alzheimer’s disease) is a disease process, not part of normal ageing.
I can understand that the changes you’ve described have been bewildering. Some of what you’ve experienced may be due to normal changes in memory ability (such as finding it difficult to learn something new), but losing consciousness and losing your way are a more serious and warrant further investigation.
You do not mention whether or not you have discussed these problems with your GP.
If you haven’t, make an appointment as soon as possible. He may very well do a preliminary memory assessment and if he feels it is necessary, he will refer you to a hospital where they specialise in memory testing. Research in the memory field is advancing all the time, bringing with it interesting developments and promising treatments, but before you can tap into those you will need to have the situation carefully assessed. I am sure you will agree that doing something constructive about this problem is better than worrying about it.
Extract from Signs of the Times, August 2004.
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