Memory Can Be a Fleeting Thing for the Elderly

By SAM URETSKY

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, “Pelmanism” isn’t a word. After all, if it were a word it would be in the OED, but if it isn’t a word then it never was, so there’s no embarrassment in not remembering it. For the record, “Pelmanism” referred to a series of methods for memory improvement, mostly by playing the Match Game, also known as Concentration, with a deck of cards. It was popular in the first half of the 20th century and was available as a series of books at $1 each, which will sound like a lot of money for anyone old enough to remember that a paperback book sold for 25¢ each, and even recall what a ¢ meant, since there are no keys for it on a keyboard. Still, we’re going to deal with a presidential election which may focus on which candidate has the better memory.

Some memory loss is normal with age. The TV show “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” ran for a long time on Fox, then was syndicated, and was ranked as one of the best game shows ever. There are versions of it all over the Internet. As for recalling facts or techniques, JAMA Internal Medicine Patient Page, March 4, 2024, featured a discussion, “I Am Worried About Memory Loss—What Should I Know?” The answer is mostly: relax. “Some thinking skills, like knowledge and wisdom, improve with age. Changes in memory, thinking, and reasoning are common with aging. Having trouble remembering someone’s name or misplacing items can be a normal part of getting older. See your doctor if your memory loss affects your ability to do your normal daily activities. Examples include trouble remembering details of recent events or conversations, difficulty thinking of common words, getting lost in familiar places, or having problems doing something you used to be able to do with ease. See your doctor if someone close to you has concerns about your memory.”

If there is something that you haven’t thought about for years, or something that you haven’t thought about at all, like where you put your keys, that’s normal. But when forgetfulness becomes common, some people will think of dementia, specifically dementia of the Alzheimer’s type, and it is the most common form of dementia. In “Dementia. The Primary Care Companion” The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 3, 93-109. 2001; 3(3): 93–109) the aggressive behaviors of Alzheimer’s dementia include screaming, cursing, hitting, biting, kicking, scratching and grabbing. One dentist, whose practice includes many Alzheimer’s victims, was bitten so severely that she had to suspend practicing for several months. Mr. Trump has a history of grabbing, and boasting about it. There is no cure for Alzheimer’s dementia, and only recently have there been drugs which can slow the progression.

Significantly, Cornell University’s Media Relation’s Officer provided a report: “Cornell expert says Trump’s frequent phonemic paraphasia ‘are signs of early dementia.’” The expert is Harry Segal, a senior lecturer in the Psychology Department at Cornell University and in the Psychiatry Department at Weill Cornell Medicine. Dr. Segal begins, “In the 2024 election, both party candidates have been accused by the other of having psychological deficits. This weaponizing of clinical concepts is no doubt confusing to voters and journalists. A careful consideration of these claims can demystify their use as ‘opposition research.” (https://news.cornell.edu/media-relations/tip-sheets/cornell-expert-says-trumps-frequent-phonemic-paraphasia-are-signs-early)

A number of qualified clinicians have commented on Mr. Trump’s lying, which is not merely habitual but pathological. But, Dr. Segal wrote, “Recently, several clinicians have noted the ways he has begun to mistake words, lose his train of thought, confuse Biden with Obama, particularly during long rallies held in the evening. There are examples of phonemic paraphasia – swapping parts of words for others that sound similar; these are signs of early dementia, even though they are intermittent.” For example, when a sound substitution or rearrangement is made, but the stated word still resembles the intended word. During a recent speech, Donald Trump couldn’t string a sentence together when he said, “We’re a nation that just recently heard that Saudi Arabia and Russia will re-feh-ur ah ...” (Sic). President Biden occasionally says the wrong word – slip of the tongue or whatever, but Mr. Trump seemed as if his brain was collapsing.

Famously, President Biden has a long history of verbal gaffes. Giving a press conference after Justice Department special counsel Robert Hur published a report on Feb. 8 exonerating the president over his retention of classified Obama-era documents and described the President as an “elderly man with a poor memory,” Biden confused the president of Egypt with the president of Mexico.

The United States’ older adult population can be divided into three life-stage subgroups: the young-old (approximately 65 to 74), the middle-old (ages 75 to 84), and the old-old (over age 85).The two potential candidates are in the same subgroup, with the current President less obese, and no history of the violent actions that accompany the most common form of dementia.

Sam Uretsky is a writer and pharmacist living in Louisville, Ky. Email sam.uretsky@gmail.com

From The Progressive Populist, April 15, 2024

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