Processing Information in Dementia

 Life can be very difficult at times when you are trying to process or understand what is happening around you.

I stopped going to meetings etc, because it took so long to understand and process, what was being said, and by the time I understood what had been said, it was too late to answer.

The same thing happens when I'm outside and I meet friends or colleagues, and sometimes misunderstand what they have said.

This can be embarrassing or can cause problems, because they may think that I am being rude.

Many friends and colleagues accept that I have an illness, and take me as I am, and if I make a mistake, they don't take offense, but not everyone is as understanding these days, and far too many take it the wrong way without thinking or taking onboard my problems.

This is not intended, it's just a fact of life these days, and although upsetting, I have to accept it and move, on hoping that they understood my problem.

However it's not just the spoken word, it also happens with technology, my brain does not cope easily with modern technology.

Many people expect me to cope with games and gadgets on things like Facebook etc, when in fact, I simply don't always understand them all, and this is frustrating, not just for me, but I guess for others too.

This is also one reason why I don't play board games these days, because I need more time to process things, and people get annoyed and frustrated which does not help me, or them

This is i gather all down to my slow processing due to problems in my brain, although upsetting at times, I have to accept it, hoping that others will allow me time to process the information and answer in my own time.

In this fast-moving world, people don't always allow us time to take on board what has been said, or what is happening, and then start to answer themselves, which in many ways is rude and patronizing.

There are times when I struggle when I'm shopping because I need to take on board what is happening around me, and that's not always easy, because people move so fast in all directions and speeds.

This, in turn, leads to balance problems, because I tend to feel unsteady, or lose my balance if someone walks in front of me, and that can make people assume I am drunk when it's all down to balance processing the information in front of me.

There are times when this causes problems when I'm at the doctor's because I need to take on board what has been said by the doctor before I answer, but this is why my wife always comes with me, so she can answer questions I may get stuck with,

My wife has said that it may look as if I don't want to answer the questions myself, when in fact it's all down to my processing speed or lack of it.

In fact, being at the doctors can be very distressing these days, because I have to remember why i am there, and anything that's gone wrong, which is not always easy, especially when it comes to explaining them properly and clearly

Another problem these days is the fact that I can't answer a simple question straight away, and need time to consider what has been said before I answer.

I recently had a problem with a telephone call from a consultant, who was asking about my stomach and bowel problems. 

I had just had a scan, so he said I did not have cancer, something which I had not considered, because I have had diverticulitis for years only its got very bad these days, so I need to be close to a toilet most of the day as I am going sometimes 4-5 times a day, and sometimes during the night. It feels as if my body is not processing food properly, and its going straight through 

However after saying I did not have cancer, he seemed to lose interest in anything else, and I confess that I got confused and could not remember what I had already said.

These people simply do not understand how bad it is to remember things like symptoms, when your brain is struggling to cope.

I had notes written down for the consultant, but when I was caught out I forgot where the notes were.

I know this also causes problems at home, and my wife must get very agitated with my lack of response. Simple questions can cause problems at times, and it must upset my wife along with other people

There simply isn't anything I can do about it, I just have to think things through carefully and then answer.

I have been caught out many times when someone has asked me a question, and I've answered wrongly, simply because I picked the question up the wrong way, I thought it meant something else.

Usually, if my wife is there, she will support and correct me, and that in some way does help out, although it's upsetting to know that I've made possibly a bad mistake.

It also annoys me to understand that I occasionally need someone to correct or support me.

Things that used to be simple while I was working, like reading letters and emails, now cause problems, and I usually let my wife read them, before I go anywhere near to answering them, because I sometimes misunderstand what they are about, or what they are asking.

However loud music can also cause extra problems these days due to him the fact that I seem to have acute hearing problems.

Shopping is a complete hazard these days, due to the fact that most shops seem to have loud music blasting out all of the time.

It's things like this that make me feel that I am starting to lose control of my life.