Testing Memory

Yesterday afternoon the ELSA lady came.

For the past decade or so I’ve taken part in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.  Thousands of over fifties take part and it helps researchers ascertain what is ‘normal’ in people as we get older.  Every couple of years a nice ELSA lady visits to conduct an extensive interview, weighs me and times how long it takes me to walk 8ft. 

One of the reasons I take part is that Mum had Alzheimers and the worrying changes we saw in her memory and mental ability as she got older.  These were fobbed off by her GP as “just your age dear … everyone’s memory deteriorates … we're none of us are as sharp as we were”; this was more patronising than reassuring.

Which is why the memory and mental capacity tests are the ones that interest me most.

 

So I’m glad to report I can:- 

    Repeat ten random words immediately after hearing them 

    Correctly subtract 7 from 95, then 88, 81 etc. 

    Count back from 20

    Name 36 animals in 30 seconds (they always seem to find this impressive)

    Remember and repeat eight of the ten random words we started with (hotel, river, tree,     skin, child, market, paper, book).

Which is all very well but, as I told the ELSA lady, how come I can never find my handbag or phone and constantly forget people’s names?

And last night I discovered that I’ve completely forgotten my tivo-box pin code and password.