There is a current ad on television about a woman who has misplaced her keys and can not locate them. After a diligent search, her husband finds them in the refrigerator, where she absent-mindedly had misplaced them. Ostensibly, she is in the beginning stages of Alzheimers disease, which is sad, to say the least.<\/p>\n
However, \u201cthe case of the missing keys,\u201d or the misplacement of other items, of which most adults are victims on occasions, are rarely symptoms of the beginnings of Alzheimers. Among my many friends, most of whom are ages 50 to 90, with some younger folks also, this phenomenon of misplacing everyday items, is quite common. And none of us have Alzheimers. Rather, these instances are usually cases of inattention to the details at hand, while the mind is preoccupied with larger tasks.<\/p>\n
The other day, after a round of golf, with conversations among several older golfing companions–who are always complaining about misplacing their keys and other items–I noticed that everyone\u2019s memory was quite good at recalling trivia from past experiences, sometimes in excruciating detail. And they could give us detailed analysis of every shot made during that day\u2019s round of golf! Yet these same people complained of suffering from the \u201cmissing keys syndrome.\u201d<\/p>\n
From all this, it seems to me that this phenomenon is caused primarily by 1) having a major project or event going on, which in certain situations– such as doubt about doing the job, will it be too expensive etc.– can \u201cleak down\u201d and \u00a0interfere with 2) the actual \u00a0activities necessary to accomplish the main goal, which can also be interrupted by outside interference, unfocused thinking, and internal mental distractions–not keeping one\u2019s mind on the job at hand! \u00a0\u00a0For example, recently my washing machine broke down, and I decided to repair it myself, since I am handy at such tasks. After obtaining all the needed new parts, I began the work, with my mind focusing on fixing the machine; but soon I was distracted by thoughts of wondering if \u00a0I could do it, then debating with myself as to whether I should have called a serviceman or not.<\/p>\n
Soon, I noticed I couldn\u2019t find a special wrench I had used a short time before, but was needed to complete the job. I searched for a half hour in my basement, but could not find it. I then gave up for the day, hoping I would remember later. The next day, as I went to answer the phone, there was the wrench by the telephone, where I had casually placed it when my work was interrupted by an emergency phone call from a friend. I picked up the wrench and completed the repair job. In this case, losing track of the wrench, was caused by pre-occupied thinking and the phone distraction.<\/p>\n
From all this, I have recommendations to help us all with this \u201cmissing keys\u201d problem. 1) Whenever you are placing an object somewhere, verbalize the action, such as, \u201cI am placing my keys on the counter next to the refrigerator.\u201d You can repeat the verbalization a time or two, making the memory trace stronger. 2) Have a specific place to put keys and other items when you are through with them. One lady has a special rack in her kitchen where she hangs all her keys as soon as she is through with them. She said that\u2019s the only place they will ever be, if they\u2019re not in her pocketbook. Professional mechanics tell me they have specific places to put their tools after use, such as tool belts, tool boxes, or tool cabinets. They can\u2019t afford to misplace tools, because time is money, and they don\u2019t want to waste it looking for tools. 3) Keep your mind on what you\u2019re doing at the moment and try to prevent interruptions.<\/p>\n
Readers may have other suggestions, and I hope they will share them with their friends!<\/p>\n
There is a current ad on television about a woman who has misplaced her keys and can not locate them. After a diligent search, her husband finds them in the refrigerator, where she absent-mindedly had misplaced them. Ostensibly, she is … Continue reading
\nHAPPY REMEMBERING<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"