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Most of us notice that our mental lapses occur more often as we grow older. Increasingly we have brief moments when we blank out—we can’t think of a neighbor’s name or the word for that thing you hold over your head when it rains. We lose track of what we were talking about halfway through a story. Or, we stand holding the refrigerator door open and wonder why.
“Senior moments,” we joke. But beneath the smile some of us wonder if these memory lapses are not just the benign forgetfulness common to elders but might be signs of something more ominous such as Alzheimer’s disease.
I am teaching a class in the Harvard Summer School this year on the Aging Mind and Body. Have 14 students, ranging in age from 16 to 66. I have invited them to join me in keeping a record ot mental lapses. So far no takers.
I recognize that my memory lapses are out of the ordinary. One effect is to cause me to focus when I like to spend the early morning on autopilot, and find it slightly unpleasant to concentrate. Also, I worry a little about making the problems worse. And then I catch myself avoiding problems, being reluctant to enter them on the chart.
I have decided to list all memory lapses, no matter how small, as long as they last more than a few seconds. Below is a record of memory lapses during Week 1.
Date Memory Lapse Comment Sleep/Stress Stress Level
July 1 0 Good-1 Low-1; Mild-2; Mod-3; Hi-4; V. Hi-5
2 WalkedtoBRDKwhy--3 Fragmented Frag-3/ 4
2 OpenedFridgeDoorDKW-3 Frag Frag-3/3
2 FoundSelfBasemtDKW-3 Frag Frag-3/3
3 0 Good-1
4 0 Good-1
5 0 Good-1
6 0 Good-1
7 Caught self headed togarageDKW OK-2
Total 11 (4)
On the basis of the first week’s chart, I seemed to have had one bad night with fragmented sleep, and another where I woke up several times. Both contributed to some mental fogginess the next morning. No pattern yet that I can divine has emerged.
If any of you reading this blog would like to accompany me through some part or of the remainder of this journey, you are welcome to walk beside me and compare notes.
