Does my mum sound ok, is this normal for 72?

I am younger than your mum but definitely in the last few years I have developed anxiety when travelling. I worry I have forgotten to turn something in the house off, worry the window might be open, worry I have forgotten my passport, ticket etc. I have a friend who is the same.
I also occasionally feel anxious leaving the house..
Ihowever I am able to not let it stop me doing things . The more times I go out or away and everything is fine when I come back the easier it is.
I've found that the less busy I am the worse the anxiety is. I think it's having too much time to overthink.

I can't believe this thread is still rumbling on! The doom mongerers are having a lovely time. There might or might not be an innocent explanation to any of the things you've mentioned. If she has poor eyesight (cataracts), then tripping over a hazard like a tree root is not surprising. I fall over all the time because I have vertigo. I'm more likely to do it if I'm walking along talking to someone next to me, which seems to be the case here. To make this less likely, I use a stick, even though my legs aren't the problem. Forgetting things is also not unusual. Everyone does it, from children onwards. My husband has to be reminded of his hugely beloved children's birthdays all the time, just because he does and apart from when they were tiny and new, always has done. I don't use airports simply because, to me, it's the worst beginning and end to any holiday there could possibly be. I'm allowed not to do it and so is she. We looked after my mother for 10 years. It started because she was having falls regularly. In her case she was being over medicated for high blood pressure. She did develop dementia later but the first signs weren't that she was forgetting things. She showed difficulty processing things, e.g. dithered about whether she should wear gloves when it was literally freezing outside and then refusing to take them off when we were back at home, watching TV in them for hours on end because it was "cold outside". So don't assume, if she forgets something you think she should remember, that she's demented. It really sounds like the anxiety is all yours OP. Accept that no one on MN can answer your questions and if you are genuinely concerned, persuade her to see the GP. My mother resorted to phoning my Dad's GP and talking to them herself, which resulted in them asking him to come in for a check up.
He didn't have dementia, which was what she had feared.

OP, I’m sorry to say but it really does sound like your mum may be in the early stages of something like dementia, just because the symptoms are so very similar to those I saw in my own mum and FIL.

Forgetting significant facts and information like this is a marker IME. My mum forgot she’d been to Sri Lanka a few years previously (she’d also had quite a horrible experience there and had no recollection of it). It was the moment my sister and I really understood something wasn’t right, even though her symptoms were otherwise mild and she wasn’t diagnosed until years later.

My dad was in complete denial about the whole thing and wouldn’t push for early treatment, but DSis and I really regret we didn’t just intervene and advocate harder for her, as proper medication and memory boost exercises etc may have helped her stay with us mentally for longer.

I genuinely don’t want to worry you, but rather to encourage you to act now if you’re concerned x

Did you make a GP appointment?

Worrying yourself and asking strangers on the internet is not the best course of action.

@SpanThatWorldIm not surprised she got anxious at Birmingham station, especially as it was a new route. It’s a horrible and confusing place and the sensory overload of a big, busy station plus anxiety would be overwhelming. Well done for her managing it!

I think it does sound a bit concerning, OP. When you reminded her, did she recall it?

Bloody hell, I'm 62, still work and I have all of these issues. Friends who are older and very active also have them too. None of us would consider asking a doctor about it, a GP would think I was mad if I went in and said I tripped over a tree root and I hate travelling nowadays.

It sounds as if she has developed an anxiety disorder, or maybe existing anxiety has got worse.

And ?.... what a moronic add to the thread. Guess what I am still travelling at full gusto at 72 tho try to avoid killing people in stupid cars. Humble brag, much? But I absolutely understand the OP's concern for her parent. Do fuck off dear.

As you age you can feel more vulnerable so anxiety when travelling would be understandable.

Also, the reluctance to travel will probably stem from fear she may not be able to cope physically and also it’s common to become more anxious as you age. My mum is the same. She worries over small things and second guesses herself constantly.

I would encourage her to go and see her GP. My mum is 84 and experienced similar issues which we just put down to getting older. She fainted whilst waiting for a bus and it turned out she had issues with a heart valve which wasn’t opening properly. She had keyhole surgery to fix it and the difference was amazing and immediate. She gol colour back in her face and was no longer so tired and breathless.

I’m just using this as an example and not saying your mum is unwell, but it’s definitely worth her getting it looked at. Tripping is also more common as we age, but again it’s worth looking at.

She needs to go to the GP for a wellness check

Very likely blood pressure, feeling like you might fall standing up quickly or could be inner ear problem causing vertigo. I think you do worry more when you are older, things seem more of an effort and the allure of sitting on a hot beach all day or staying up late in a nightclub wanes. A lot of what ifs in the back of your mind that weren't there when you were young and fit, a bit of a feeling of vulnerability.

No. She should see her GP for investigations

Has she ever had her thyroid checked? I'm half her age, and I've had all the stuff you described, and it turns out it was an underactive thyroid.

My DM is now 82 but in her mid-70’s she started to get really anxious about travelling, except it was about ME travelling. If I was out and bumped into a friend for a chat, or didn’t come straight home from work then I’d obviously crashed the car and was dead in a ditch somewhere. My best friend is an experienced geriatric nurse and she explained to me that, as people age, they often blow seemingly unimportant things out of all proportion. A small thing to us is incredibly important to them. Knowing that definitely helps me cope with it better.

My DM started to fall a few years ago. She was adamant that they were all accidents, not ‘old lady falls’. I noticed that many of them came from her not fully concentrating on where she was going, often I’d be behind her and she’d turn to talk to me. Now, I always walk in front. It’s awful when you start noticing the decline but if you can put some things in place to mitigate against that it’s more manageable for you both. A trip to the GP for an MOT might be a good idea, even if all it does is put your mind at rest.

I’m 71, last year I tripped on a broken paving slab ( cos I was talking to DH and not being very observant) and went flying but needed my wrists x raying as I had put my hands out to save myself and it hurt. After that I was very cautious about where I was walking for a while.
i have never liked flying as I hate airports but went off on the train, to somewhere I had never been, on my own last week.
I would think she might find a check up or referral to a physio specialising in older people helpful.

I’m 75 and none of this sounds normal and she needs to see the GP. Normal for me is swimming, exercise classes, cinema, lunch with friends and hobby groups. At least one of these everyday and usually two.

Anxiety over travelling is normal as people get older. My mum drives me mad about it. She is terrified of getting lost. I'm not sure why because it's not like she'll never be found, or indeed that she can't just look at her phone, or ask someone, but anyway, very normal I think.

I don't think being tired after doing very light cleaning is normal, nor the lack of balance (although anyone can trip over).

She started having little trips or falls that could easily be explained away but they started happening more frequently. Having anxiety about journeys that she used to take frequently.
Started getting dizzy spells and a few toilet accidents. Lots of little things but put together were concerning.
Dementia isn’t always just memory it’s physical too.
Get her checked out as early medication can really help slow it down.

Could be a case of low blood pressure. Try not to worry about the worst possible outcomes right now. Encourage a check up at the GP.

My nana was similar a few years ago in her late 70s. Her b12 turned out to be very low. Early 80s now and going strong.