Is there any connection between forgetting minor things when you are young and developing Alzheimer’s disease later in life?
Thanks.
I heard this analogy once: If you forget where you put your car keys, that’s normal absent-mindedness, if you forget WHY you need car keys, that’s alzheimer’s.
Yes, erictelevision, but what I would like to know is if forgetting where is a precursor of forgetting why. Have there been any studies linking the two?
Surreal - as a person who has had alzheimers sufferers in the family all I can say is this: Google Alzheimers Disease and look up early testing methodology, ages, warning signs, when to start getting tested, new drugs…
My father caught the diesease very early because he was getting forgetful, and would often forget why he came to the store etc…etc…
He’s been on the same meds now for 5 years and it has halted the spread of the disease. I’m sorrry the name of the medication slips my mind right now :smack: bad phrase for this thread…
But according to him he is fine, MRI’s find no more spreading and his brain started finding new neural pathways almost immediately after he started the meds. What I mean by this is your brain functions in a very concrete way, learning new things can create new pathways of thought. My father was a Nuclear Engineer his entire life. Engineers being as meticulas as they are really disturbed that the perfectly functioning machine they called a brain their entire life may not be up to par as they age.
My dad took the news hard but the miracles of modern day medicine are remarkable.
If you think you are at risk, then get tested. Ignorance and macho-pride usually kill people who stay away from the doctors offices…
Wow Phlosphr… if you could possibly find out about that medication I would be eternally grateful!
My FIL has early onset alzheimer’s (He’s 55 and has had it for a few years now) and the medicine he is taking has no effect at all.
We all forget where our keys are sometimes… especially if you don’t put them in the same place twice. My MIL has kept the napkins in the same place for 30 years and my FIL has to ask every time he wants to get them.
He can no longer find places he’s driven to hundreds of times and the oddest things do not occur to him. Like when he broke down one day and ended up at the repair shop. It never occurred to him to pay for the repair with his credit card (he didn’t have enough cash on hand) He also has a lot of trouble finding the right words or gets lost mid sentence. Following more than one conversation is impossible.
It is horribly sad to watch someone go through this. It is far more than the occasional ‘oops where are my keys’ or ‘why am I in this room again’ stuff.
They did a variety of neurological tests and scans. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions… the earlier they start treatment the better off you are if you have the disease.
[ul]I’m bumping this thread so that Phlosphr had time to call his dad and I have time to find my keys! :eek:[/ul]