I am remembering things in detail from 75 years and more ago and I don't understand why or what causes it. A high school girl friends telephone # Olympic 28806. Different things that people have said to me. Advice, directions, cautions,. On a short term basis I have no problem with pass words, appointments, names, places. I wish my body was as sharp as my mind seems to be.
I don't seem to be able to focus or stay interested in any one thing for more than 15 minutes. I start reading a book and loose interest after a couple chapters. Same with a movie. I'll start watching and 15 minutes later switch to some thing else. Sure makes the time drag.
I can't really tell. Since I'm only working thirty hours a week and on my schedule, there isn't really anything in particular that I need to do a specific time, so I jump around a lot. I watch movies while I'm working and often have to back them up, all or part-way, realizing that I had lost the plot. If I want to stop and play with the cat, work in the garden, or go for a walk, I do that. Lately, I haven't been reading a lot. I used to read for an hour or two after going to bed but now I get tired after a few minutes of reading, but that will probably change.
It all depends. I reached a point in my adult life where I noticed that my mind wanders when I read a book. There will be a character who sounds like he or she has been on the scene for a while, and I have to flip back several pages to where they were introduced, and reread from there. But it's been a while since I've read a book...and I used to be an avid reader. I've never had a problem focusing when "doing stuff." I can still put together a spreadsheet from beginning to end or cook several complex dishes at the same time and keep track of where I am in each of them without a problem. The one thing I can relate to is watching movies. It's been a while since I've sat down and watched a movie. I, too, get tired of it. I think that's more what you're talking about, Lon. It's not an inability to focus, it's almost a loss of tolerance for engaging some things for an extended period of time...not all things, just some things. You said you watched The Bounty the other day. How was that? Did you watch it all the way through in one sitting? The other problem might be related to COVID Isolation. Loss of all that stimuli is not good for us, and might be a big part of this. It's coming up on 6 months of solitary confinement. Being alone with our thoughts is not healthy.
My "attention span" is better than my wife's. Then again, when she is playing pinochle on her iphone, she generally hears nothing around her, including when I ask her something. I have to raise my voice and octave to get her attention!
It depends on the task of course. Some need a limited amount of attention time, and some more. I got bored last winter and decided to build a bird house. I got as far as cutting two boards and they sit there to this day .That's as far as I got. I'm only good for about an hour in front of the TV. Even on the computer, 20 minutes is a long time for me.
I can't watch a movie in one sitting anymore. I have to pause it and go on to something else and come back later. Same with internet sites and SeniorsOnly. I can stick with one thing for only so long. It's not as bad as it could be, though.
My Long Term Memory is amazing. I am remembering things I would just as soon forget. My Short Term Memory is pretty good as well. I plead quilty however to leaving the water running in the bathroom sink or leaving lights on.
My short-term memory has never been very good so I don't equate that with age. I could never remember a phone number long enough to dial it.
I still recall the phone number of vendors I dealt with when I started in Purchasing back in 1976. Those were the days before auto-dialers and when exchanges meant something (JA4-xxxx is for Jackson. EM2-xxxx is for Emerson.) That EM2 exchange was from when I was a kid. We moved from that state in 1963. I still recall our phone number. Like Beth, I find that I'm losing my vocabulary. I really hate that. I never struggled to find specific words and had a pretty good vocabulary. I think that not working has had a negative effect on me. I've more frequently walked into a room and had to think as to why I went there, but that's because I'm home-bound so much there is no differentiation in scenery or mission. I've made that same walk into that same room for lots of reasons, and for no reason at all. Loss of a variety of stimuli is no good for us.
I may have posted this in the jokes section already, but it fits here: An elderly couple were concerned about their faltering memories, so they made an appointment with their doctor. After the examination, he sits them down in his office. “You two are fine. We all get a little forgetful as we age. I tell you what I do…I write things down when I really need to remember them. Often the mere act of writing things down is sufficient to help me remember.” Relieved, they go home. Later that evening they’re watching TV, and the husband gets up to go to the kitchen. “Where are you going?” asks his wife. He replies “I thought I’d get me a dish of ice cream.” “That sounds good. Could you get me one?” “Sure, hon. I can do that. One dish of ice cream, coming up.” ”Aren’t you going to write that down?” she asks. “You know what the doctor said.” “No, I don’t think I need to do that. It’s just a bowl of ice cream.” He turns to go to the kitchen and she says “You know, I think I’d like some hot fudge on that.” “Okay, dear. One bowl of ice cream with hot fudge, coming right up!” “Well, don’t you think you should write that down?” Mildly perturbed, he replies “There’s no need to do that. It’s not that much to recall. I’ll be right back.” He turns again to go to the kitchen and she says “Could you put some nuts on that for me?” “Yeh, I can do that. I think we have some in the cupboard. Not a problem.” “I know you better write that down! That’s a lot to remember!” More than slightly annoyed, he says “Look! My memory’s not that bad! Ice cream, fudge and nuts! Jeez.” He turns again to go to the kitchen and she says “I think there’s some whipped cream in the fridge…” “Sure, why not. I’ll throw some on top for you.” “Here’s a pen! Write it down!!” Angrily, he yells “Get off my back, woman!! Ice cream with fudge, nuts and whipped cream!! It’s not rocket science!!!!” So he stomps off into the kitchen and is in there for half an hour. He finally comes back and puts a plate of bacon & eggs in front of her. She looks at the plate, looks at him, looks back at the plate, and says “You forgot my toast!”