Recently, I took an Alzheimer's factoid safari into the wilds of Google. The most fascinating clickable beastoid, found deep within the word jungle, was a comparison chart which differentiates between normal forgetfulness in the aging (young dope addicts not counted in this study) and those with with a bona fide case of Alzheimers.
The most exhilarating and reassuring pointer: if you are simply an aging and forgetful old fart, you can usually retrace your footsteps to find that lost pair of reading glasses or the TV remote. But if you have real Alzheimers, faw-getta-bout-it.
Fortified with this knowledge, I now know that when I can't remember where I parked my car (every time), the little red triangle on my car keys will set the car alarm blaring to a monotonous beat. (Thank god my hearing is still functional.) Or upon awakening, when the topic of yesterday's blog eludes me, Firefox's bookmark system comes to the rescue and poof! I see what ramblings made it onto the page 24 hours prior. (Thank god I'm not blind.)
If any of the over 40 set find this a useful distinction, then my good deed for the day has been fulfilled. Everything else from this moment on is a bonus.
The most exhilarating and reassuring pointer: if you are simply an aging and forgetful old fart, you can usually retrace your footsteps to find that lost pair of reading glasses or the TV remote. But if you have real Alzheimers, faw-getta-bout-it.
Fortified with this knowledge, I now know that when I can't remember where I parked my car (every time), the little red triangle on my car keys will set the car alarm blaring to a monotonous beat. (Thank god my hearing is still functional.) Or upon awakening, when the topic of yesterday's blog eludes me, Firefox's bookmark system comes to the rescue and poof! I see what ramblings made it onto the page 24 hours prior. (Thank god I'm not blind.)
If any of the over 40 set find this a useful distinction, then my good deed for the day has been fulfilled. Everything else from this moment on is a bonus.
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