Asking the same question again and again--is this a problem of old age?

While asking something repeatedly can be a sign of old age and Alzheimer's, I know a lot of people who do the same thing and are much younger. I especially know young people who *say*, not ask, but say something often, whether it be something that happened in their lives or whatnot. They say it as if I've never heard it before, which I find kind of odd.

Dear Kalav I dont know much about the issue as I am yet to reach that age. Though I have had my interactions with old people. Like you, I have my late grandfather as my icon, and he was someone who like your father, was admirable. The other few I know, are from the Old Age Home. These tend to have the issue you mention. There are a few who would repeat themselves again and again but never on the same meet. I think this is because of the fact that they miss the love and care of their own children, grandchildren. They have no one to share anything great between them and so when they find anyone, they just cant control. I believe this is quite a normal behaviour as I too at times repeat myself more than once - just I remember if I had told this to someone before or not. Regarding forgetting or even repeating oneself - The psychologists may be right, so might be the doctors - everyday they need to frame new things so that they can be someone important on this planet. I have no such thoughts like this is a disease or an issue. I consider this as basic human tendency - we all need to be satisfied that we are heard - something that keeps us going and stay motivated

My God Kala! If your father was so fit and you still worry, what should I do? My mom’s an Alzheimer’s patient, she asks the same thing ten times in ten seconds and I dread if ever I become like her. I really don’t know if this is hereditary but mom was fit and fine…a working woman who managed office, home and a highly rebellious kid with equal aplomb…she changed gradually but suddenly too, a few years after taking VRS…sometimes I look at her and wonder what will happen to me in my old age…I only hope we still have mylot to share our woes with each other….if we do remember to log in, that is LOL

I am very concerned, moreso, kalav..about us "buttonholing" the seniors in our society! For some odd reason..it has gone from great respect and awe, of their accomplishments in life...to be categorized as forgetful, repetitive, lonely and dependent! I accept faults & misbehaving in the young..and so I need to accept and realize that our "paragons" may have a few blips in their radar, too! Many seniors, today, isolated from family, suffer more from loneliness...than any other disease...a reflection of our disposable society!

Repeat of a question more than one time may be for several different reasons. The person you spoke to didn't hear you, you didn't hear the answer, you don't remember the answer, you didn't understand the answer or the very worse you didn't remember what the question was. Blessings

Oldage is surely a thing to shudder about. Not so long ago with the joint family system it was never considered to be an issue but not so now. With more and more children leaving the shores seeking greener pastures the elders are left alone to fend for themselves and with domestic help being rare the problem has become manifold. Even senior homes are not something to write home about. The only solution is to have like minded seniors living together and helping each other.

Talking about the same subject repetitively is a sign of old age. My grandma used to repeat the same story about her life during the ww2. As a kid then I was never bored listening to her eventhough she has told me the same a zillionth times. As of now I can still control my brain and speech in my half century of age but wait till I cross the bridge I have no doubt history will repeat itself.

We grow with our expectations. If you believe that old age is a time for infirmity, then maybe you will dread growing old and be unhappy. On the other hand, if you look forward to aging and consider it a wonderful time filled with opportunities for happiness and growth then you may just find that you can grow old and love your age. I have many friends in their 90's who are youthful and vigorous and still learning and enjoying life. I intend to be just like them.

I think you are right about lack of interest in a subject will cause you to forget it much quicker. When I have an appointment given to me over the phone, I have to be sure to write it down right away so I don't forget. Even when it is written down in one place sometimes I have to ask someone else for a reminder. In my case it is more chemo brain than old age since I am only 52, but I guess with cancer that can be considered old...I try to keep my mind active and learning new things because I feel like that would help prevent that kind of problem. Have a great weekend!!!

Dont you worry kala. They have found a new jab for Alzhiemers which may pave way for better times. So we may not become as bad as our predecessors were. I am optimistic about my old age for two reasons, medicine will advance considerably, and so will robotics. So surgeries will be performed by robots, while stem cells will replace my knee, thigh or back joints. And in the meanwhile plenty of hospitals and facilities will come up as the world has to cope with baby boom generation's old age. I am towards the end of that generation so by the time I reach my old age, most of the facilities will be there, and they will be affordable by the time I reach there as there will sudden decline in demand around that period. Cheer up. Nothing as bad is going to happen to us. We have come up in a different generation where we have spent more time reading books and watching those televisions, and of course using computers. We will not be that bad for sure. :)

hello kalav56, with reference to your main topic discussion, well, i am also experiencing that thing from my mom. wherein, there were really times that she repeatedly asking same query again and again. well, maybe this is due to her age. and it is somehow bearable. however, there are some people who are also in this type of condition. and i will not exclude myself. hence, there are times, i am at this situation. it is just that i am not interested in the topic being discussed, but, i am not focus on the topic being aired. that my attention was into another thing. as a result, i will asked again what is it all about. thus, having this attitude cannot only thrown and blame only if the person is already old. as there are so many instances and circumstances that contributes when a person is experiencing this. including the stress that we have on our day to day activity is also a contributor on this factor.

I think that it was not all old people asking the same question over and over again. However, the fact of the matter is that many old people are going to really be asking the same question over and over again. Old age is really not going to really be a fun time for sure and it is almost sad to see someone with a once sharp mind feeling the ravages of age. Again it depends on the person. There are many older individuals who make a lot of us younger people look rather shameful. Then there are going to be some times where mostly every stereotype of the older generation is unfortunately true. It does take a patient person to deal with older relatives a lot of the time, a very patient person for sure.

It is very scary to me. Whenever I visited my mom, she would ask me the same question she asked about the last time I was there. My house was torn down, but she always asked about it. The last time she was in the hospital, my sister (who took care of my mother) was upset because the social worker said my mother was suffering from dementia. My sister took it as a slight to her caring for my mother. But the fact was that my mother was forgetting and yet, she still knew what was going on about her. One day when I told her about this guy who cut my grass because he thought he could have my property, my mother got mad and sounded llke she did in her younger days. So I say that yes, asking the "same question over and over again" is a sign of old age.

Just to make it clear to you, forgetfullnes is not supposed to be part of aging, it is usually considered a pathological sign which could be related to medical conditions like Alzheimer's Disease, other reason would be because as they age their hearing is affected which make it hard to hear what others say.

In oldage we have so many problems, physical and mental apart from disappointments and depressions on which we do not have any control. Constantly we will have some aches here and there and we cannot tell them to others as we will be boring them by our negativity. Hence concentration on what we say will be less and there is a chance of repition. Give allowance for that. Further we will forget to whom we said about it and think that we have not told to the person with whom we are talking and say it again.

Hi Kalav, since this recent years, i see that my grandmother do have this type of habit of asking same question again and again. Sometimes, it seems that we will need to keep reminding her the same thing over and over. It do sometimes makes us felt bored talking to her. But, due to our love and care towards her, we understand that old age do create many types of problem. Now, we prefer only to tell her things that are important to her only. So that, she won't felt confusion and keep asking the same question over and over again.

Hi kalav, Older people often experience decreased blood flow to the brain which can impair their memory. This is why they tend to forget things easily or at times keep repeating the same question over and over again. Loss of co-ordination is another sign of old age and these symptoms can be over-comed by eating healthy and including physical activity in the daily routine.

How old is old and how young is young? At 65, a person becomes a senior citizen and starts receiving money from the Social Security Administration, honest and hard earned money that he or she is entitled to. However there are senior citizens whose neurons are perfectly functional and cognitive abilities that are amazingly rational and logical, more so than the young ones who claim to know everything and often dismiss what a senior citizen says as a hassle and nothing more than a result of mental decline, without even bothering to listen to what was said. Personally, I hate repetition, I find it annoying, insulting and derisive. However, there are times when repetition is necessary for emphasis. Yes, everyone forgets, that's being human. A lady I know is 99, but incredibly sharp.