Point-of-Action Memory Failure (POAMF)

 Point-of-Action Memory Failure (POAMF)

 Many senior citizens suffer from memory problems as they age. Forgetting events, faces, names, facts or simply words is common. While greying brain (the physical part, I mean) adds its part to increase the pain of memory loss, there are other reasons / causes.  Not being interested, hearing only partially thus registering wrong info / facts, mis interpreting a scene due to poor or impaired vision, reading something amidst disturbances etc could pave way to later failure in memory recall.

 I want to talk specifically about one type of memory issue, not being discussed much elsewhere.  I want to term it: POAMF = “Point of Action memory failure”.  Here are some examples:

 ·       I prepare some nice curry for lunch; but forget to take it during eating. I realize this only while clearing the kitchen slab after lunch. It was just lying there untouched!

 

·       I go for shopping with a carefully prepared shopping list and even plan mentally the route to take so that I can cover all items in a systematic way avoiding retracting my steps. But, coming home, after shopping, I see that I had missed out buying some item on the list though I had crossed the shop where it is available. Recall at appropriate moment failed.

 

·       I write on my kitchen black board reminding myself to order Coffee Powder. Despite visiting the kitchen many times and reminding myself about the pending task, I will forget about it after leaving the kitchen!

 

·       While checking email in the morning I would mark a few messages for later action by starring it or adding it to task list or marking it unread etc. During the next visit to Gmail I may miss out acting on a  couple of them.

 

Do you also suffer from POAMF? Any ideas as how to handle this issue? What to do if you fail to recall something “at-the-nick-of-the-moment-when-it-is needed” ?