Note to self: Write things down
Marguerite Thompson is almost 88 years old, and by her own admission, she doesn’t know whether she is coming or going.
The time and day can be puzzling as well. “Offhand, I don’t know what day it is,” she said.
Her sister, Dolores Nichols, 72, reminded her of the time she got lost in the basement of her apartment complex after attending a birthday party. Interestingly enough, Thompson merely exited the basement and re-entered the building through the front door.
Either way, Thompson agrees that her memory does lapse from time to time.
“Every day, I write down what I need to do,” she said. “I have a pad by my bed and I write down all of the appointments that I might have that day.”
At least she remembers her memory.
Memory loss is one thing; Alzheimer’s disease is another. And according to Thompson’s doctors, she has the disease.
“I’m not sure when the changes began,” she said. “I was at an appointment with my doctor and she told me to cancel a cruise.”
Memory is a complicated process that, in a sense, relies on the accurate programming of information to the brain that is then stored and later retrieved. But that process is subject to the whims of stress, anxiety and a slew of other biological conditions that can produce forgetfulness.
In its simplest terms, Dr. Martin Samuels, chairman of the Department of Neurology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, explained, “If we cannot encode information, we cannot remember it later.”
Dementia is a whole different ballgame and its most common cause is Alzheimer’s disease. It causes severe problems with cognitive skills — the ability to think, analyze, reason, understand and remember. The deficit becomes severe enough to interfere with daily functioning.
Other symptoms include difficulty with abstract thinking, such as working with numbers; difficulty talking, reading or writing; disorientation, such as unawareness of days and places; loss of judgment; difficulty performing familiar tasks; and changes in personality, mood or behavior.
The lines between temporary memory loss and incipient stages of Alzheimer’s are blurry, but one thing is clear — Thompson’s sisters weren’t taking any chances.
Ruthie Collins, the baby sister at 69, noticed changes in her older sister about four years ago. “She would start paying the same bills two and three times,” Collins said. “She would also tell you something, then turn around two or three minutes later and say the same thing.”
Collins had a sense that her older sister’s memory loss was more than old age.
“She was always so precise,” Collins said. “I couldn’t believe she was making the mistakes she was making.”
Sure enough, Collins was right. But it took a near emergency to reinforce the message. Thompson passed out a couple of times. The immediate cause and problem was dehydration, but doctors learned from medical examinations that Thompson had high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Later examinations showed she had Alzheimer’s.
Part of the problem was that Thompson was not drinking enough water and eating the right food. Her husband died years ago, and he did all the cooking. She resorted to take-out foods that were high in salt and fats, further exacerbating her medical condition.
“Memory pills,” as Thompson calls them, have been helpful but she has benefited greatly from the support of her family.
Nichols said it has not always been easy. “It’s frustrating at times,” Nichols said. “She’s a little stubborn and likes to maintain control. Dealing with the changes can be difficult.”
Despite the downside, Nichols and her husband cook regular meals for Thompson and make sure that she is eating a diet filled with fruits and vegetables.
Collins counts her blessings. “Fortunately, the disease is moving slowly,” she said. “And she is still pleasant and cheerful. That’s good for us because in some cases they can get mean.”
And Thompson is still feisty, readily explaining that she still telephones her friends and is able to write her own checks.
“I pay my bills immediately and put them by the door so I won’t forget them when I leave,” she boasted. “If I don’t pay them right away, I’ll forget.”
She also says that she still has her routines, largely because her lifestyle hasn’t changed much.
“Everything’s at my fingertips,” she said. “I live close to CVS and Whole Foods so they are easy to get to. I can go to the bank. That’s close by … It seems to be working for me.” |
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Marguerite Thompson (center), recently diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease, is flanked by her two sisters, Dolores Nichols (right) and Ruth Collins.
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