My husband has recently been diagnosed with AD. I have sat in for the testing with the Geriatrician and silently answering all the questions on the Mini Mental Examination. I know I don't have dementia just older person brain fog but I keep questioning my self that I will get it also and who will be there to look after him/us. I know I am being super vigilant of my own memory and possibly reading into more than I need but I am continually checking my own memory processes.
I worry that I also may be losing my memory
- Thread starter TeamRoddo
- Start date
Hello @TeamRoddo I think that this is quite common when we are looking after someone with dementia, we forget the slightest thing and start wondering if we have the disease, but try not to go down that road.
It is no wonder that you have occasional ‘brain fog’ looking after someone with dementia is so tiring. Try to ensure that you get regular breaks, especially in the fresh air. It is not always easy I know but it does help.
I think every carer worries that they will get/have started getting dementia - I know I worry about it at times, but I think its probably just stress.
At one stage I started keeping notes on incidents relating to my own memory loss. I realised the notes I kept were months apart and have stopped now.
The memory lapses were related to name recall more than anything else and are definitely age related.
I have regular check ups with Brains for Dementia and was reassured my lapses are age related.
I know we are all more aware but I think if the time comes when we make mistakes or forget something and are unaware, that is when we need to worry.
The memory lapses were related to name recall more than anything else and are definitely age related.
I have regular check ups with Brains for Dementia and was reassured my lapses are age related.
I know we are all more aware but I think if the time comes when we make mistakes or forget something and are unaware, that is when we need to worry.
I think it must be an unusual relative or carer of someone with any form of dementia who doesn't sometimes worry, that they are maybe beginning to suffer from the same thing, themselves. I think you need to "cut yourself a little slack" as you are living within a stressful and emotionally demanding situation. I "only" had my mother to deal with when she lived alone and was getting into all sorts of problems, I say "only" but that was bad enough and the worry was following me back home to my own home, waking me in sleep and disturbing just about everything, including my health. Stress and sadness makes us more forgetful, make us make mistakes, do things wrong. I think it is important that you don't heap the worry of your potentially losing your own mind upon to what you are already dealing with, with your husband, day in day out.
Somewhere, amongst everthing else that you are managing here, you need to carve out a little time where you can do something which relaxes you....something kind for yourself. My mother, now in a care home, has always been largely unaware of the extent of her dementia and I sometimes think, what if it is myself or my husband who gets like that. Having been made cruelly aware of the difficulties created by this illness maybe we(and I!) need to ask for the trusted intervention of a relative or close friend(preferably younger and not someone we are living with) to let us know, to alert us, that we might need to go and get checked out....and otherwise leave it at that. In your situation you have enough on your plate.
Somewhere, amongst everthing else that you are managing here, you need to carve out a little time where you can do something which relaxes you....something kind for yourself. My mother, now in a care home, has always been largely unaware of the extent of her dementia and I sometimes think, what if it is myself or my husband who gets like that. Having been made cruelly aware of the difficulties created by this illness maybe we(and I!) need to ask for the trusted intervention of a relative or close friend(preferably younger and not someone we are living with) to let us know, to alert us, that we might need to go and get checked out....and otherwise leave it at that. In your situation you have enough on your plate.
I haven't had any worries about dementia for myself (I'm only 50...) however every day is much like every other day as a carer (especially when it's constant repeats on the TV) so it's no surprise that many of our thoughts turn to 'oh, am I starting with it now?'
Since becoming a full time carer I occasionally lose track of days and forget who I've said what to. I also sometimes stumble when selecting words ('oh you know, thingy') but I put it that down to rarely talking to anyone but my wife and her daily carers and health visitors. As I joke with my daughters when describing my diminishing vocabulary "word list gone small now".
Since becoming a full time carer I occasionally lose track of days and forget who I've said what to. I also sometimes stumble when selecting words ('oh you know, thingy') but I put it that down to rarely talking to anyone but my wife and her daily carers and health visitors. As I joke with my daughters when describing my diminishing vocabulary "word list gone small now".
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