How can I learn to accept my "senior moments"?

Love you.

First of all, to relieve anxiety, have a good conversation with your primary care doctor about your concerns.

Also, as we age, many of us are on meds for physical ailments but are not always aware of any side effects; another thing to review with your doctor.

And then keep doing new and different things, including new age-appropriate exercises. That will encourage neuron growth that keeps your neural pathways fresh.

Due to my own health issues, I have had to let go of some things I wanted to do (like an extensive cycling tour). But I try to keep a short list of things I want to do or see in the near future so that I can look forward to new adventures.

@zenvelo Thanks. In terms of the doctor talk, I’ve been doing that and pass all the mini-mental tests easily.

@Dutchess_III Back atcha!

You may already know this, but there’s a blood test that looks for protein associated with brain changes in Alzheimer’s disease before symptoms show up. I know this isn’t exactly what you asked for, but I thought you might be interested.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/blood-test-might-reveal-dementia

I sympathize with you, although in my case it’s physical pain. I’ve been trying things for my back for more than a year, including a surgery, and so far not so good. I have hope for this new procedure I’m trying, but it’s scary and depressing to face a future of pain if nothing can be found to work successfully.

I feel like memory slips are more common as I get older not because of age but that there is more going on and my bandwidth is fixed. I will admit, dementia is my biggest fear, that’s not something I want.

There are so many possible causes of memory issues and it’s distressing that it’s hard to pin down what someone’s reason(s) might be. Medications, post-menopause, diseases like diabetes,health issues like certain low vitamin levels or slow thyroid, just plain aging.

I know for me, I forget words once in a while and I just attribute it to aging but it might be a few possible reasons.

Joking about it worked for me, finding ways to make it a bit silly. I did all the forging-new-neural-pathways things after chemo brain, and it helped a lot, but I never got it all back. So now I just brush it off, joke about it, roll my eyes at the vagaries of aging, and move on. 99% of the people won’t even notice.

I don’t know how to accept senior moments.
It wouldn’t hurt to discuss this with a medical doctor who specializes in geriatric care.
I think that you are fortunate to be able to recognize this situation for what it is.
I’m elderly also and am concerned when I can’t think of a name or word while talking to someone. But I’ve always been like this with my nervousness and anxiety and stuttering.
I wonder if my lacks in memory is due to my anxiety or is it because of mental decline.
Good health to you.
Stay strong.

My mom laughed it off until it became more serious (brain tumor.) You have to try to choose joy no matter what life throws at you because the alternative is being miserable.

My neighbor lady (Alzheimer’s) just got thrown in a home by 3 of her 4 adult children, so I completely understand your anxiety.

Acceptance is a tricky thing. I often have moments when I can’t remember simple words. It’s a side effect of a medicine I take for my mental health. I get frustrated, but then I take a deep breath and just use another word, or I say, “What’s the word I’m looking for?” and go on. I think it’s something I taught myself.

It helps me to look at what lies beneath my momentary frustration. I find that fear underlies it. I’m afraid of looking stupid or appearing to be prematurely aging. My mind is such that I will even catastrophize things and imagine dire scenarios of my brain atrophying. When those things crop up, I do what I learned in therapy. I ask myself what I would do for my best friend if he came to me with this issue, and then I do that for myself.

I hope you are able to feel good about yourself as you age.

Think of it as forgetfulness, which isn’t so bad, and don’t be ashamed to let others jog your memory. I’m sure you do the same for them.

Like @Hawaii_Jake, I worry about looking stupid, or worse, that people won’t take me seriously because, “Oh, she’s just old!” That bothers me more than anything. I assume that if I’m old I don’t matter. Is that part of it for you, @janbb?

@smudges It’s not that for me: I’m pretty sure I still come across as “smarter than the avereage bear.” It’s more the fear, as I said, that I may become demented eventually and this is the beginning.

Here’s encouraging news for you, @janbb. My mother’s brother had Alzheimer’s, but when she died, at 98, she was a bit forgetful, but no sign of dementia or Alzheimer’s.

@canidmajor But who are you and where am I??

Well, now you sound like a cross between Satre and Kant, brilliant and insightful!

^^ Dat’s me! Being and Nothingness with No Exit!

Laugh it off penguin.

@mazingerz88 Yeah – penguins are allowed to have fuzzy brains, right?

And Dutchesses!

@janbb …and fuzzy walking.

I lost my learners drivers license last year by failing a dementia test by one point.

It’s liberating to not have to care as much anymore.

I would recommend turning this lemon into lemonade, and milk it all is worth . You can start, or join a dementia club or society. Give speeches to schools in the gym at as a PSA. You can document your journey and write a book about senior moments.

A social or outreach worker could help you get started.

@RedDeerGuy1 I’m not seeing this process as inevitable in any way and do not plan to join a dementia club!

@janbb I was being tounge in cheek.
I forgot my age a couple of times this year.
Everytime I log into a website 9/10 I have to click on forgot password.

@RedDeerGuy1 Oh – thank goodness!

@RedDeerGuy1 What I do to keep track of the endless amounts of passwords is I have a little book, like a journal book and I put the site, the email address that I used, the password, and if there are any security questions, I list them and my answer, and if the site asked for my birthday and I put a different birthday from my real birthday when I signed up, I put that too. When I change the password, I put the date of the new password. I use that book all the time.

Here’s what I use: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1684127270/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You might find something way cheaper at Walmart, or even a little note pad if that suits you.

I take the book with me on vacation sometimes, although I hesitate to do that because it would be awful it I lost it.

If you kept a book like that, it would probably solve your password problems.

@jca2 I have an everything scribbler for the thoughts of the day. I keep it on my coffee table in my living room.

@jca2 i do that in a doc and also sent a copy to my son.

@RedDeerGuy1 But do you actually use it to write down passwords, emails and other important information to get onto a website? I suspect not based on your current issue with Amazon.

@janbb I have two lined sheets of paper that are so messy but which have all the info like you’re talking about on them. I also have at least 3 brand new books/journals which I keep saying I’m going to use for that stuff so as to be more organized! One day I’ll actually do it! o_O

@jca2 I thought about using Word or doc, even notepad and would love to because it would be so easy, BUT…I’m a little paranoid and think about all the access someone could have if they ever got into my computer – even my credit union account and life savings with a company!

And if I printed it out and deleted it, it would be a major pain to add anything to it.

@smudges that’s why I don’t do that – I do the book. Old fashioned but it works for me.

@smudges: All my passwords are on my phone and computer, but they are listed as descriptions of the passwords. For example, “brndgdgts” translates to the name of a pet and a distinctive feature. In no universe could anyone (except me) translate that to the actual password. Personal encryption helps!

@jca2 & @janbb Pardonnez-moi! I completely reversed the messages I sent to you two. The one labeled janbb was supposed to be for jca2, and vice versa. But you get the drift.

@canidmajor What a good idea! So brndgdgts is probably something like browndogdigits, and then one would have to know your brown dog’s name, right? So brndgdgts is just a clue for you, not the actual password. And you don’t have to remember the hint because that’s what’s written down and saved! I may borrow that. :)

@smudges I am going to write them down more frequently in my scribbler. I usually keep logged on to important websites.

@smudges, right! And I have devised easy but incomprehensible clues for all my passwords that way, so they can be written out stored anywhere.

@RedDeerGuy1 Make a list right now and start. Don’t delay. I say that just because you want to get ahead of it. Start by listing all the sites you go on (bank, Amazon, shopping and store sites, credit cards, doctor and health portals, subscriptions, other websites and Fluther of course). That way, when you call Amazon next week, if you get a new password, you can list it.

@canidmajor I’ve done the same thing; mine are in a code.

Mine are in code and misspelled.

My passwords are always “Fucktrump666!” everywhere. If I forget that then I’m really in deep doo doo.

I may steal that @mazingerz88!!

You can do it @RedDeerGuy1! Just have to get started. And I have to get started on using my book instead of paper that’s falling apart! ...and thinking of different passwords because they say don’t use the same one over and over, which I do.

Sometimes it can really help to think about exactly how non-alone you are in those moments. Imagine all the other people on Earth who, right now, are thinking about just this. Imagine their faces and what they’re doing. Some of them are older than you, some are younger. Some forget a movie title, others can’t remember their loved ones’ names.

@jca2 I don’t remember any of my usernames, and no passwords. I just automatically log in. I will write down my passwords as they go.

@mazingerz88 I’ll remember your password though I seem to have forgotten all of mine.

I just use LastPass to store all of my passwords. Need to remember only one.