My mother is becoming increasingly worrysome. Her memory is going and she exhibits a large degree of mental confusion. I don’t believe she’s suffering from dementia, even though I understand that to be a matter of degree rather than kind in the elderly, and she doesn’t wander round the streets in her nighty thanks God.
What is striking is the reversal of her ability to use the tools of modern society. I bought her a new phone with BIG BIG buttons because she could never complete dialling a call before it timed out. This was due to the very lengthy pauses between her hitting the numbers, because she couldn’t comprehend the numbers. She is forever losing keys. And I’m always finding huge bundles of money stashed everywhere. Even 5 years ago she was alert coherent intelligent mobile. To watch her decay is so very depressing. She is having tests with psychologists to see what is going on but it is just old age and premature incapacity.
What’s awful is that she is only 71 and yet is worse than many an 85 year old. I have to treat her around like a 5 year old much of the time. I tell her off, mildly, and she behaves like a rebuked child.
She’s only going to get worse. Will this be me in 30/40 years?
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