Awareness

How do you deal with Forgetfulness?

Since my last update it seems as though Grandma forgets more and more each time I speak with her. I'm not worried that she has Alzheimer's or anything like that but how can I help her, if I don't spend every moment with her?

A couple of weeks ago the family got together for my brother's and Uncle's birthdays. We of course went to "THE SIZZLER" you'd heard of that place right?  We were supposed to meet on Sept. 11 but I got a call from them a few days before to reschedule. I was at Disneyland and in the middle of a show and couldn't just pick up my phone  but I told myself I would call her right back when we got out of the show. They called me 3 more times... This made my heart skip a beat and I became anxious for the show to end to I could call back. about 5 min later I finally walked out found my cousins and called her back and she just couldn't tell if that was my phone number because I took my voice off the voicemail greeting. She couldn't remember what we were doing on the 11th!!!! Once I reminded her we set a new date and time for us to get together for that following Saturday and have an early dinner.  

Later that next week I get a call, Grandma is calling again. What are we doing on Saturday? It was my impression she had written all this down the last time we spoke. So I started reminding her gently. I said "we" would be there about 1pm and she asked me who's we? This caught me off guard because the whole point of this was to see my brother... Of Course she remembers, once you remind her but she just can't recall it on her own...

We had a great time at dinner and she is doing great!

Now, fast forward to yesterday. I gave grandma a call just to check in. Asked her the usual questions, How are you? how you feeling? how was church? what's new? She is doing GREAT, but then she asks me what I'm doing. I was driving at the time on my way to a business dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. We then proceeded with some other conversation but she asked me 3 different times, Are you going home? What are you doing? Are you going to the gym?  All after I had already told her I was on the freeway on my way to a business dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. After each time she laughs because she knows that's what I'm doing but she just can't keep it in her mind. She tells me Mis I'm getting Old...

She is an active woman, she writes things down (most of the time) she reads. How do I help her??