My Recent Cognitive Deterioration: Due to Covid Isolation? Or, Due to Dementia?

[GammaGlobulin]

My Dear Friends,

 

During the past nine months, the time it takes for humans to create a new life, I have experienced minimal but worrying cognitive impairment.

 

Why is this, do you think?

 

And, are you experiencing the same thing?

 

Everybody tells me that the mind is a muscle, a muscle which requires constant exercise in order to avoid atrophy.

 

My great mind has not been adequately exercised during the past almost two years, so unfortunately.

 

Thankfully, I will keep this message shorter than usual.

 

The only thing that bothers me is….Not Knowing.

 

What I mean is, I just wonder how much of my recent sudden-onset cognitive deficit is due to environmental issues, meaning Covid-related social isolation, and how much of this cognitive impairment might be attributable to some systemic age-related thingy.

 

Naturally, I have no way of distinguishing between environmental causes and just plain-old …. old age effects.

 

Of course, it is not exactly like I have been locked up in a Supermax Prison, for example, where one tends to hallucinate.  Also, as we know, when the Count of Monte Cristo was incarcerated for so many years, he still retained his mental faculties, and could even write lucidly.

 

Very soon, now, I do believe, our society will recover from this plague, as we learn how to better deal with it, and also, as it might just fade away in the very near future, due to more benign variants becoming more transmissible, such as the vaunted Omicron variant.

 

In Conclusion:

a.       My mind is still, more or less, intact, after almost two years of isolation, probably same as yours.

b.       It seems obvious to me that we are now approaching the endpoint of this pandemic.  And, blue skies are now ahead, for most of us.

c.       For those who actually enjoy living in a pandemic world, I can only say….Please wait for the next one. The next BIG one, because this Covid pandemic of ours has not been the BIG one.

d.       Can we also please recognize the fact that TV is a great and FUN resource to so many.  There is NO OTHER pretender website in Thailand that can ever take the place of TV.  Not joking.  TV is here to stay.  And, it is good.

e.       As we age, and as you know, time passes more quickly; time becomes compressed the older we become. And so, within just a few more years, seemingly a second in time, I will be too old to post here. Instead, I will be a driveling idiot, even more of one than you might think me, now.

 

Soon, we will be on the far side of this pandemic, looking back with great fondness for the times we shared, online, during great trials and tribulations, and with great nostalgia for it.

 

Best regards to you, My Friends in the Pub.

 

Glob

 

Note:  During this time of year, there is much cause for rejoicing. All around us are beautiful flowers, not to mention the recent cooler and more comfortable weather.  And, there are new birds from the North, flying around, and perching here, too. So many new bird calls, during this great time of year.

[Kwasaki]

You need to go and see a psychiatrist. ????

[1FinickyOne]

9 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Why is this, do you think?

I define old age as an increasing feeling of vulnerability... if you had the same moments of forgetting in your 20s it would not have effected you...

 

That said, there are different types of forgetting. Though if someone is having dementia related signs, what should they do? My father was a businessman and he fought tooth and nail to keep control of his finances even though he had 2 competent children who, when it finally came to it, spent his money on his care, making sure he had the best. But ask yourself, at what % of cognitive failure would you turn your finances over to someone else? For most of us, the answer is never. 

 

Dementia most often is a gradual process, with 'moments' - - for one fellow I met, that moment was sending his $$ to some non-existent online broker who scammed him... in his 80s, he could still hold an intelligent conversation, but for - that moment - he would be ok... 

 

Of the companies that sell mailing lists, there is a reason that the most expensive targeting lists is of the elderly. 

[CharlieH]

I really dont get these "isolation" references at all.

 

[BritManToo]

8 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

I really dont get these "isolation" references at all.

 

Agreed,

The only difference between before and now, is less foreign holidays and more drinking at home. It's saved me so much money I had an extension built and bought a new motorcycle, with money still to spare.

 

For anyone feeling isolated, get a wife/gf or buy a pet.

My three rabbits are a lot of fun, two of them are sitting under my sofa as I type.

Edited December 4, 2021 by BritManToo

[ThLT]

@GammaGlobulin
1. You need to exercise your mind. Like you said, the mind is like a muscle. To do activities that stimulate the mind, like reading, writing (like your post above, which is really well-written by the way!), drawing, painting—learning, things like that.

 

TV is not one of those things. It is mostly a passive activity. Get rid of your TV. When you don't know what to do, it becomes your "default activity." Get rid of it, you will be using your time for much better activities. ????

 

2. Stop saying your mind is deteriorating. Thinking this is the case will only make it happen if you believe it.

 

If you want to be sure, go see a doctor. If it is actually mental deterioration, you will know—or maybe the doctor will tell you that your mind is fine.

 

3. Most importantly, the pandemic is not what causes decline in mental activity. Yes, maybe for students who are learning on a computer screen all day, when they should be learning in a classroom with a teacher and other students.

But seriously, what would you be doing more if there would be no pandemic? Going to the mall? Visiting tourist places?

 

You can still do many activities even with the pandemic, like reading, gardening, calling friends by video chat, playing chess online. The pandemic is not a good excuse. You would probably be doing almost the exact same things if there would be no pandemic. 

Find good things to do, new hobbies, make new friends and video call them, and talk about many different subjects with them, laugh, read more, start a garden and pickle your own vegetables, do some light stretching, learn how to draw, listen to classical music—anything like that. You need to be active, ????

Edited December 4, 2021 by ThLT

[KhunLA]

30 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Agreed,

The only difference between before and now, is less foreign holidays and more drinking at home. It's saved me so much money I had an extension built and bought a new motorcycle, with money still to spare.

 

For anyone feeling isolated, get a wife/gf or buy a pet.

My three rabbits are a lot of fun, two of them are sitting under my sofa as I type.

Agree also.  We've actually been out & about during the 'situation', more than before, since the lack of tourist, make tourist destinations quite enjoyable.

 

Went to Ao Nang, Phuket during high season, which we would usually never would do, as off season is actually a bit too crowded for us, the past 10 years, anyway.  It was lovely seeing those destinations without millions of tourist.  Less than 10 people on the beaches, simply amazing.

 

Self driving around the country without the tour buses and vans, pure heaven.

[Grusa]

Op, when you say "TV" do you mean "ThaiVisa" or "TeleVision"? If the former, it is now called "AN" for Asean Now", a retrograde step for information but a positive one for comprehension!

 

As to the potential for cognitive dysfunction, both are probably equally guilty.

 

Especially if you use them indiscriminately. "May have disturbing content. Viewer discretion is advised".

[saakura]

4 hours ago, Kwasaki said:

You need to go and see a psychiatrist. ????

A visit to the local gogo should do the trick better.

[worgeordie]

13 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Thankfully, I will keep this message shorter than usual.

Oh ! no you didn't .........

regards Worgeordie 

[starky]

That was a shorter post? That?

[Liverpool Lou]

On 12/4/2021 at 12:07 AM, GammaGlobulin said:

as we know, when the Count of Monte Cristo was incarcerated for so many years, he still retained his mental faculties, and could even write lucidly.

We also should know that the book was a novel, i.e. a work of fiction.

[Liverpool Lou]

On 12/4/2021 at 8:36 AM, Kwasaki said:

You need to go and see a psychiatrist. ????

At least one!

Edited December 5, 2021 by Liverpool Lou

[Liverpool Lou]

On 12/4/2021 at 11:02 AM, Grusa said:

do you mean "ThaiVisa" or "TeleVision"? If the former, it is now called "AN" for Asean Now"

It will always be Thaivisa!  

[Kwasaki]

9 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

At least one!

I've suggested places to get help before,  I haven't suggested "Help the Aged" if there still about. ????

[Bohemianfish]

I guess the only change for me is that I'm more of a hermit and avoid people - aside from wife. Some people are suffering, but that can be alleviated by adapting to the environment.

 

We all have computers. Phones, perhaps with cameras. There's a lot we can do. There's no end to the activities one has at their disposal. Exercise is always available - physical and mental. 

 

Time compresses for some people, because they do the same routine day after day. They stop growing and learning. There's much we can do to keep learning and challenging ourselves. Cheers!

[GammaGlobulin]

4 hours ago, Bohemianfish said:

I guess the only change for me is that I'm more of a hermit and avoid people - aside from wife. Some people are suffering, but that can be alleviated by adapting to the environment.

 

We all have computers. Phones, perhaps with cameras. There's a lot we can do. There's no end to the activities one has at their disposal. Exercise is always available - physical and mental. 

 

Time compresses for some people, because they do the same routine day after day. They stop growing and learning. There's much we can do to keep learning and challenging ourselves. Cheers!

Really nice and logical take on things.

And, you are right.

 

[GammaGlobulin]

On 12/4/2021 at 10:36 AM, ThLT said:

@GammaGlobulin
1. You need to exercise your mind. Like you said, the mind is like a muscle. To do activities that stimulate the mind, like reading, writing (like your post above, which is really well-written by the way!), drawing, painting—learning, things like that.

 

TV is not one of those things. It is mostly a passive activity. Get rid of your TV. When you don't know what to do, it becomes your "default activity." Get rid of it, you will be using your time for much better activities. ????

 

2. Stop saying your mind is deteriorating. Thinking this is the case will only make it happen if you believe it.

 

If you want to be sure, go see a doctor. If it is actually mental deterioration, you will know—or maybe the doctor will tell you that your mind is fine.

 

3. Most importantly, the pandemic is not what causes decline in mental activity. Yes, maybe for students who are learning on a computer screen all day, when they should be learning in a classroom with a teacher and other students.

But seriously, what would you be doing more if there would be no pandemic? Going to the mall? Visiting tourist places?

 

You can still do many activities even with the pandemic, like reading, gardening, calling friends by video chat, playing chess online. The pandemic is not a good excuse. You would probably be doing almost the exact same things if there would be no pandemic. 

Find good things to do, new hobbies, make new friends and video call them, and talk about many different subjects with them, laugh, read more, start a garden and pickle your own vegetables, do some light stretching, learn how to draw, listen to classical music—anything like that. You need to be active, ????

Classical?

 

What do you think about WTC Book 1, Schiff?

 

Amazing....Right?

 

 

[Meat Pie 47]

Is this guy for real? I bet he would not even know how to diagnose dementia

[GammaGlobulin]

One thing I have learned about the Farang Pub, over almost a decade of reading, is that there are guys here who know much more than I about any topic, in particular, that you might imagine.

 

Just name a topic, and there are people here, probably mostly lurking, who are experts in this given topic.

 

If, as we know, there are many thousands of farang here in Thailand, then, within this community there exist experts who know much more about any given topic than you might imagine.

 

In addition, in my opinion, the Farang Pub seems to attract the more intelligent readers of our crowd.

 

And so, might I even go so far as to say that we represent the Intelligentsia of TV, just due to our enjoyment of a bit of humor?

 

Naturally, if you just wish to talk about a door jamb, then, on TV, you can easily find this topic, as well.

 

TV is the GREATEST, for sure!

 

Never to be challenged by ANYBODY, especially the pretenders.

 

Thankfully, I have retained enough of the small portion of my cognitive function in order to make this important observation.

 

Maybe, by tomorrow, I will have lost even this ability.

 

Best to you all.

 

Wishing all a happy time in the upcoming holidays.

 

Take care.

 

Note:  Please listen to JS Bach.  Bach is the greatest, and the only, composer guaranteed to provide such beauty to patient listeners.  Be patient with Bach.  Listen tirelessly, over many years, and you will reap the glorious rewards for doing so.

 

 

[Meat Pie 47]

17 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

One thing I have learned about the Farang Pub, over almost a decade of reading, is that there are guys here who know much more than I about any topic, in particular, that you might imagine.

 

Just name a topic, and there are people here, probably mostly lurking, who are experts in this given topic.

 

If, as we know, there are many thousands of farang here in Thailand, then, within this community there exist experts who know much more about any given topic than you might imagine.

 

In addition, in my opinion, the Farang Pub seems to attract the more intelligent readers of our crowd.

 

And so, might I even go so far as to say that we represent the Intelligentsia of TV, just due to our enjoyment of a bit of humor?

 

Naturally, if you just wish to talk about a door jamb, then, on TV, you can easily find this topic, as well.

 

TV is the GREATEST, for sure!

 

Never to be challenged by ANYBODY, especially the pretenders.

 

Thankfully, I have retained enough of the small portion of my cognitive function in order to make this important observation.

 

Maybe, by tomorrow, I will have lost even this ability.

 

Best to you all.

 

Wishing all a happy time in the upcoming holidays.

 

Take care.

 

Note:  Please listen to JS Bach.  Bach is the greatest, and the only, composer guaranteed to provide such beauty to patient listeners.  Be patient with Bach.  Listen tirelessly, over many years, and you will reap the glorious rewards for doing so.

 

 

Just stop talking BS tell me what is Dementia? you have no idea just go away

[freedomnow]

On 12/4/2021 at 6:01 AM, saakura said:

A visit to the local gogo should do the trick better.

Yes, same principle as a pneumatic drill...blasts the dust off everywhere.

Edited December 13, 2021 by freedomnow

[talahtnut]

10 minutes ago, Meat Pie 47 said:

Just stop talking BS tell me what is Dementia? you have no idea just go away

I was about to reply to you post,

but i'm wondering if already replied earlier.

What was it about?

[huyuli]

Dear Glob

From the way you write, you do not have dementia. If you want to confirm this, I suggest that you take the Mini Mental State Examination, which is available free online. At worst, you may have Mild Cognitive Impairment, but I doubt it. Anyway, have a shot and contact me for more information if you like.

https://oxfordmedicaleducation.com/geriatrics/mini-mental-state-examination-mmse/

I also recommend this free online course. It will stimulate your brain and increase your knowledge about dementia.

https://mooc.utas.edu.au/course/27

All the best.

[ThLT]

1 hour ago, Meat Pie 47 said:

Just stop talking BS tell me what is Dementia? you have no idea just go away

You clicked the thread. Just don't click on it. Problem solved.

[GammaGlobulin]

16 minutes ago, huyuli said:

Dear Glob

From the way you write, you do not have dementia. If you want to confirm this, I suggest that you take the Mini Mental State Examination, which is available free online. At worst, you may have Mild Cognitive Impairment, but I doubt it. Anyway, have a shot and contact me for more information if you like.

https://oxfordmedicaleducation.com/geriatrics/mini-mental-state-examination-mmse/

I also recommend this free online course. It will stimulate your brain and increase your knowledge about dementia.

https://mooc.utas.edu.au/course/27

All the best.

Right.

 

Mini Mental Test...

 

for

 

My Mini brain.

 

Thank you.

 

 

Note:  If one can motivate oneself, enough, which is very difficult to do during this pandemic period, then, also, doing memorization work for language acquisition, so I have heard, just might stave off further cognitive deterioration.

 

Anyway.

Tks. 

[GammaGlobulin]

In the end, no matter what might go wrong......virus-wise....

 

Still, one must admit, in the end, that we live in a very cool world....

 

Take the good with the bad, or the bad with the good.

 

 

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

38 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

In the end, no matter what might go wrong......virus-wise....

 

Still, one must admit, in the end, that we live in a very cool world....

 

Take the good with the bad, or the bad with the good.

 

 

 

 

It is always better to be in love with a cartoon, rather than to have no sex, at all. during this pandemic.

 

Personally, this Cool World cartoon makes me cream...

 

What about you?

 

I guess, she is the type of cartoon you dream about, almost every night.

 

Even...maybe... Better than the real thing.

 

In the future, we will have 3D robotic sex supplanting the real thing.

 

And, then, as a result, our Cool World will become a much happier place, free of jealousy. stalking, and no-fault divorce.

[GammaGlobulin]

It's like this....

 

I have searched and searched, until almost the day I am about to die, yet have never found my perfect woman.

 

But now, I have finally found my true love in a cartoon, after tasting too many women who never measured up.

 

I have found the perfect woman.

 

She is the answer to my dreams.

 

I just find her so attractive.

 

And, you can turn her off whenever necessary.

 

She is the wave of the future. Such a beautiful voice, and an absolutely beautiful body.

 

I am looking forward to better graphics and an even more engaging experience., in the future.

 

Having been starved for sex for 20 years, this cartoon woman is the best thing I have ever seen. 

She really turns me on.

 

Big lips.

She never stops.

 

She never stops.

 

It is sort of like Mick Jagger's tune, Start Me Up, the virbrator song, only far better.

 

Can we please listen just one more time?

 

This song is for Real Men....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

There is already much data concerning the waning of cognitive function, which begins early in life.

 

 

Still, one thing that we have always known is that verbal ability can persist into old age.

 

This is why, on the Farage Pub, most guys who are old and decrepit are yet able to write proper sentences.

 

There are many other changes in cognitive functioning which are interesting.

 

The above graph is from a fairly old study, as far as I know.

 

===========

 

For those who are aging, gracefully, then you might wish to read these studies, just for the purpose of putting your mind at peace.

In other words...

 

If you can be convinced that LOSING YOUR MIND is normal, then you just might be less stressed by losing your mind.

 

And, this, in itself, could be helpful to you.

 

Just keep in mind that these studies show the average.

And, at the micro level, and for any given individual, your cognitive functioning will probably NOT be average.

 

Obviously.

 

Hope you are doing better.

Hope you're doing better than the norm.

 

Hope you're feeling better, too.