Understanding the Difference Between Healthy Reflection and Memory Loss
Dear Carol: I’m worried about my grandma. She’s a healthy, active 74-year-old who reads, volunteers, and plays Scrabble. Mom says Grandma is the smartest, most on-point person in the family. She seems that way to me, too, but my friend’s mom has Alzheimer’s disease, and she’s always talking about things that happened long ago as if they are happening now. Grandma doesn’t get confused about when things happened, but she does relate what’s happening now to events from the past. She’s a good storyteller, and her stories are interesting because she’s seen so much. But I’m scared. I’ve told Mom that I worry that Grandma has Alzheimer’s because of these long-ago stories. Mom says Grandma is fine, but I can write to you if I want another answer. Please tell me if I can just enjoy the stories without worry, like Mom says. Thank you. – SL
Dear SL: Thank you for your question. I don’t know your age, but you seem very wise, and your mom sounds like a wonderful person who knows what she’s talking about. I don’t think you need to worry. Your grandma is doing what we call reminiscing and reflecting. Sometimes people reminisce because there are events from their past that they enjoy remembering and talking about. This is why there are high school and college reunions. Family reunions,,,
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