What do you know today that you didn't know yesterday?

[arewethereyet]

I went today for my Welcome to Medicare physical not sure of how in depth it would be.

I learned that it's not a huge surprise that Trump passes his mental acuity tests.  My test was - for memory I was given three words...sunshine, rain, cloudy.  Then I was handed a piece of paper with a circle drawn on it and was told to put in the numbers of a clock face.  Then draw hands to show the time of 5:20.  Then asked the three words I was supposed to remember.

Good lord...if that's the threshold I have to wonder just how far gone you have to be to fail.

The words are generally not that closely related. Many years ago, I was present with my wife when she took her mother to the doctor for a checkup. He specialized in geriatrics and dementia. He gave her five words; I only remember "truck" and "green". Of course, it was about 8 years ago, but at the end or a half-hour session she not only couldn't remember any of the five words, but didn't remember being asked, either. It was terrible to watch her steady descent.

I suppose they need to establish a baseline.  I was just a bit surprised...I probably shouldn't be as I have an insane memory for detail.  That's probably why I have done well as a bookkeeper.  Ask me what our phone number was when dad was in college - I can tell you.  Ask me the address of the house we lived in for two years in the mid-60s.  Got that too, right on the tip of my tongue.  (And yes, most of the time I can remember why I just walked into a room.)

My boss says my biggest contribution to the company is being organized and remembering things.  

The old body is going to hell in a handbasket but the mind is still functioning fine.

My family hasn't dealt with dementia; we just get all the bodily stuff that falls apart.