My mother is getting older and is now getting forgetful

i'm 32 and i'm a lot more forgetful than i used to be,my long term memory is fine but my short term is rubbish,my kids think it's funny because i'll ask them the same question a couple of minutes after the first time i asked,or sometimes i can't remember how to make a cup of tea,or if i take sugar in it,i haven't taken sugar for 17 years

Make sure that you speak to the doctor about he forgetfulness, she is age that age to watch for alzheimers and dementia. the quicker you can catch it, the better your possibility of slowing it down. You can not stop it but might be able to slow it's progress.

I think you should consult her to a geriatric doctor. I guess she needs to be attended to by a doctor so that she can be given medication that may slow down this memory gap thing. Although this cannot be prevented anymore because it is part of our aging process.

my mother is the same. She is so forgetful that she repeats the same question several times, and we have to answer it every time. She forgets if she's taken her medicine already and when she repeats a story to her sister, she forgets midway when interrupted. I suppose we will all get there one of these days.

Oh I know the feeling is strange and hope we all get to keep a good hold things, be patient.

Same with my mother who is turning 71 this month. Anything that she had just said to me will be said again to other members of the family. But her long time memory is still good cause she keeps on telling stories of what had happened a long time ago. And she loves to talk also, keeps on mumbling anything even though there's no one to talk to. But she's still healthy and always takes a long walk. She can still go to places she likes to by herself. She do her own laundry because she always say something with the way you wash her clothes if she doesn't like it. She loves to cook. She used to cook delicious meals for us and when there are gatherings at home, the only problem now is that her tastebuds has changed and now her meals are bland and tasteless.

Is she under stress? That can make anyone forgetful. But if she is forgetting things there are simple tasks and tests that almost anyone can do which would give an indication to what is going on. Her doctor should be able to suggest something to help or what to watch for.

Hi jugsjugs, I hope that you mum is feeling better soon or that the doctor is able to help. Blessings.

Sorry to hear that! She's awfully young to have memory loss. Does she watch a lot of television? I've read that memory improves when people cut down on their TV watching and start doing a few daily puzzles like crosswords or Sudoku or read books instead of the television. I hope she gets better soon!

62 isnt so very old.. it isnt even retirement age. hopefully the doc can get things sorted and she gets better. best of luck

I am 58 years YOUNG and am very forgetful. I will tell you a story about my mom. When I was younger and my mom would call about daily she would always repeat her stories. I put my phone down and went and finished a chore and then came back to the phone and she never knew I was even gone. Has your mom been tested for Alzeimers? I don't have that in my family but I do have Old Timer's.

Your mother is definitely in my prayers. I hope that the problems that she is having are rectified with the chest infection going away. However, you need to be patient with her as much as possible. I know it can be difficult to deal with someone that is somewhat senile, but to make her feel like an idiot would definitely do no good for anyone. Once again, I hope that she will be able to return to her old self soon.

I don't see what a chest infection has to do with memory. My mother is 84 and she is getting forgetful as well. She won't admit it though. Her mother and her sister both suffered from severe dementia. She says, she doesn't listen to people when they talk to her. I don't know which is worse, ignoring people or forgetting.

I'm sure that most of us as we get older do become more forgetful.I can remember my Mum doing the same thing as your Mum, telling me the same tale over and over again and I have to admit that now, it's my husband saying to me, "Yes, you've told me that already!" There is always the worry that this forgetfulness is the onset of dementia but it wasn't in my Mum's case and I sincerely hope it won't be in your Mum's case either.Just a thought, does your Mum do anything like crosswords or jigsaws or anything like that? They do say that doing things such as crosswords or jigsaws can help to keep the brain active.Perhaps you could encourage your Mum to give something like this a try? Anyway, my best wishes to you and your Mum.:)

I am sorry to hear this about your mother.But take solace from the fact that as we get older we do tend to repeat things and forgetting is also a part of ageing.But, I would suggest one thing.Ask your mother to do some simple additions and subtractions on a note book and write a page of something[she can at least copy it from a magazine-say a recipe or something that would interest her. If she is educated, make her memorise something and reproduce this on paper.May be this will keep her brain alert. Before you go to the doctor next time, try this on a regular basis.

this problem is getting common these days ..... memory loss is commonly found these days with growing age..i have seen my close relatives and also friend's relatives...who don't recognize their own neighbors even....i hope in case of your mother, the doctors can bring out the reason and improve her....

This is not good, but a sickness can cause it. There are also medicines that will cause this to happen. I pray the infection is all it is. My mother is 84 and this has happen to her. But she is o.k. now.

hi jugsjugs this sounds serious as she is rather young,hope its not alzheimer.But they can now do something about that according to my doctor. My mom had it so bad years back and she forgot me, she just did not remember me, she felt so bad as she knew she should know me, and I felt bad for her and me too, as I was so close to my mom. Hope everything is better once she is over her chest infection. Good luck.God bless.

I will be 62 in Sept and hope I am not repeating myself. I highly doubt a chest infection is causing her to repeat herself.The dr will have to decided if she has the beginning of alzheimers or dementia. I do so hope it's the infection tho.

It's no fun to have to deal with the down side of growing older. When one's body begins to fail, it's difficult. But, when one's mind slows, it's really hard. I've been having trouble reading correctly lately, misreading words, which has never happened to me in my life and it's scary. I also can't bring things to mind quickly enough for the younger generation. Sooner or later I remember the name, person, or whatever, but, it does frustrate me.