Memory and Aging

[Andrew Joiner]

I'm 66 years old. The older I get the more I've had trouble remembering names. I'm an introvert but very good at remembering odd details about making things or designing things. Not so good at people related memory.

Today I have to meet with some important people in my community. The company they run has been really good to me and given me free products. I've had many talks with 4 key people there. Last summer I was invited to teach a group of their customers and it went well.

Today I had to look up the names of the 4 key people to remember them! I'd hate to walk in and say remember last year when "what's his name said---"

My wife is 64 and a people person. She rarely forgets a name.

Can any of my woodworking buddies here relate? Any tips?

[Doug Garson]

I can relate, I've always struggled with remembering names. I'm 68 and I remember meeting a girl at a dance when I was in my 20's and half way thru the dance I forgot her name. When I told her she punched me on the arm and repeated her name. I remembered it all that night but today I can't recall what it was.

[Bob Leistner]

I don't think it is always age related when one can't remember names. I've never been good at it from the time I was a teen. At that time I had a job pumping gas. I could remember every regular customers plate number, but couldn't always remember their names.

[Rick Potter]

With me, it is not age related. I am 75, and even called my kids by the wrong names when they were little. They used to laugh at me, and now their kids laugh at me too. Nothing has changed.

On the other hand, I am a trivia king. I have no trouble remembering useless info that I don't even care about. The one thing that really annoys me, is that I can come up with the names of character actors in really old movies. Go figure.

[David Helm]

With me, it is not age related. I am 75, and even called my kids by the wrong names when they were little. They used to laugh at me, and now their kids laugh at me too. Nothing has changed.

On the other hand, I am a trivia king. I have no trouble remembering useless info that I don't even care about. The one thing that really annoys me, is that I can come up with the names of character actors in really old movies. Go figure.

I think you are describing me; complete with age!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

It has been my experience that it isn't age related. Even as a youngster, I had a hard time remembering names. Then we made the mistake of naming one of our sons Mark and the other one, Mike. I've angered both of them accidentally by calling them or referring to them by the wrong name.:o

[Jim Koepke]

There was a recent study about a correlation between eating leafy dark green vegetables and a better memory.

My memory of people's names has also always been poor. It take some work.

It couldn't hurt.

jtk

[Andrew Joiner]

It's nice to know I'm not alone!
Good to hear it isn't age related for all who posted. I can't remember if I was always bad at names:)
Seriously I do think that I never excelled at remembering names, but I do think I've gotten a little worse.


Does anyone else think it's an introvert vs extrovert trait? Do you know obvious extroverts your age that don't have the problem as much?

[Jerome Stanek]

I have always had problems with names but can remember trivia stuff.

[George Bokros]

Add me to the group. I am 71 and when younger I had a hard time remembering names but am better now.

[Steve Eure]

I'm 57 and have had problems the last 10 or so years remembering names. Some of mine was due to medication I was taking. Weaned myself off the stuff, (was for neuropathy), when I found out how it worked. This particular drug did not kill the pain, only makes your mind think there is no pain. Dangerous stuff that has terrible side effects. Now that I'm off it, I still have some trouble remembering names but not as bad.

[Mike Circo]

With me, it is not age related. I am 75, and even called my kids by the wrong names when they were little. They used to laugh at me, and now their kids laugh at me too. Nothing has changed.

On the other hand, I am a trivia king. I have no trouble remembering useless info that I don't even care about. The one thing that really annoys me, is that I can come up with the names of character actors in really old movies. Go figure.

With the exception of the "I am 75" comment, this describes me exactly. I'll pass people in the hall that I've worked with for 20 years, have a conversation, but cannot recall their name. I have to ask coworkers... if I can recall THEIR names. Ditto on the trivia. Mindless data, stats and info, but can't recall the name of people I meet.

[Doug Garson]

I don't think it is related to introvert or extrovert, more likely a bit of laziness (and I include myself). There are methods you can use to improve your ability to remember names, unfortunately many of us don't try hard enough.

[Pat Barry]

The way I understand it, there is a certain chemical produced naturally that makes your synapses fire. The memory center of your brain is particularity sensitive to this. With natural aging the production of that chemical is reduced. In certain cases, ie Alzheimer's and to a lesser degree, Parkinson's, this reduction creates bigger problems. For Parkinson's you can take a drug supplement to boost your bodies production of that chemical and your memory recall will improve as well as motor functions and other senses.

[Lee Schierer]

I've had the same problem, but it helps if you repeat their name back to them to insure you've pronounced it correctly and it will help you remember it. You should also write down the names as soon as you can, particularly if you are in a meeting. Draw a diagram of the where everyone is sitting and write the names in the locations as you are seeing the room. I can remember numbers for weeks, but names vanish from my memory in seconds.

[Jim Becker]

You are not alone, for sure. "Remembering names" issues actually runs in my family on my father's side and for me it's always been somewhat of an issue; more-so in the last decade as I approached the almost 61 I am now. It was sometimes mildly embarrassing, given my work prior to retirement was in sales. What I do to try and combat it is a combination of mental repetition (when I remember to do so) and also using "things" or "situations" to help associate a name with a face. I know faces and even recognize them from many years ago, but can't always place a name, however.

[Tom M King]

I could never remember names my whole life. If I need to know a name from the past, I can still call my Mom and ask. She remembers everyone she ever met, who their children were, where they live, what they did. Her mind still works that way, and she will be 102 in April.

[Mike Ontko]

I can still name everyone of my elementary school teachers, and scores of other people I knew or met that far back (...fifty+ years ago!!). But there are a few memory drops here and there, and more recently (I'm 57 in April) I can forget a name almost as quickly as it's told to me. But short-term memory issues aren't always an issue, it only comes up occasionally but, oddly enough, mostly with peoples names. LOML and I have a running joke...well, actually it's a joke to her. I'll often just associate the name Dave or Steve for guys whose actual names I can't recall. Names for gals can come from any number of unknown recesses of my cobwebbed memories, but most often I just draw a blank. My usual work-around for this is to ask the person for confirmation on the pronunciation, if their name sounds or looks different than say...Dave or Steve. Add a brief background story based on the related conversation or a memory of what they were doing or wearing, and I usually do well to remember later on.

In addition to advancing decrepitude (i.e., the natural aging process), sleep deprivation can contribute significantly to problems with short term memory. I've had sleep irregularities since before my Navy days, but my time in submarines certainly didn't help--working in 3 6-hour shifts (basically 18-hour days) for up to 3 months at a time. After finishing a shift sometimes you got to get some sleep, depending on the actual time and the day's activities, and sometimes you didn't. I carried this on after leaving the Navy, working a job, going to night school, helping to raise two daughters, and then remodeling a house all on an average of 3-5 hours of sleep a night. I do much better now though, but it's still a wonder sometimes that I remember anything. Anyone want to discuss passwords?

[Nathan Johnson]

If you don't care what their names are you have the luxury of not having to remember and not worrying about it. :)

[lowell holmes]

See your doctor. There are medications to help with this. I am serious.

[Mike Null]

I doubt that I am different than others here. Impromptu introductions are fleeting. Reading the names in an email or other document helps. On the other hand, I'm 81 and remember teachers names back to the third grade.

Repetition helps and ultimately solves the issue for me.

[Steve Peterson]

It has been my experience that it isn't age related. Even as a youngster, I had a hard time remembering names. Then we made the mistake of naming one of our sons Mark and the other one, Mike. I've angered both of them accidentally by calling them or referring to them by the wrong name.:o

I can relate to most of the comments here. Names have always eluded me, but I can usually remember facts. Chemistry was always hard for me because it seemed like just a bunch of memorization of random numbers. Physics was easy because I could understand why it worked. Then I would just re-calculate the formulas instead of remembering them.

I often remember the length of a name and maybe what it rhymes with. Mark and Mike are basically the same to me. I would have gone crazy if my kids had those names. Luckily, we have a boy and a girl with different sounding names.

[Myk Rian]

I don't think it is always age related when one can't remember names. I've never been good at it from the time I was a teen. At that time I had a job pumping gas. I could remember every regular customers plate number, but couldn't always remember their names.
At almost 69, I have to ask my wife who someone is. Then I'll still forget it 5 minutes later. She remembers names of people we haven't seen for decades.
It takes me a while to remember someones name, unless she makes a great impression on me. :D
I didn't have trouble until my 20s. It's been downhill since then.

[Michael Weber]

I'm 71. Or 72, I forget.

[Mel Fulks]

Just going somewhere can help memory. At home your "defenses are down". That's why bears never hibernate at the mall

[Bill McNiel]

I'm 69 and my memory sucks, absolutely CRS. Remembering someone's name is the least of my issues. I spent most of yesterday trying to remember what techniques I used on a commission from less than 3 years ago to no avail.

[Mike Henderson]

I'm 69 and my memory sucks, absolutely CRS. Remembering someone's name is the least of my issues. I spent most of yesterday trying to remember what techniques I used on a commission from less than 3 years ago to no avail.

I'm in the same boat. I've started taking pictures for "project notes" for projects that I think I might need the data for. I write notes on the wood so the notes will be in the pictures, then sand them off. Of course, I don't do that for everything I do and there's always something that I didn't document.

And I have a terrible time remembering names.

Mike

[Mel Fulks]

I think sometimes a bit of adrenalin accompanys a great idea and fools us into believing we couldn't possibly forget it.

[ron david]

the other part is going up or down the stairs to get something and when you get there, what did I come for. then you go back to where you were to remember what it was. your mind can get sidetracked.
ron

[Prashun Patel]

Happens to me too and I’m 46!!! I think. I can’t remember.

The trick is to take your wife everywhere and have a signal between you such that when one of you see someone you know but can’t remember the name of, you signal, and the spouse jumps in and introduces themself first before you have to speak.

Works like a charm at weddings.

[Bill Orbine]

After I know 'em a while, I'm good!

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

I have always been terrible with names. I can recognize a face and then not be able to associate a name with the face. But I can associate other facts with the face. I can even ask hows the twins, or your dad, and be right about that detail. I can remember, thinking to myself, "this is the woman that had that pony for sale" But darn if I can remember a name. I am great at other trivia