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

[Rememberthetimes]

My mum has always been a little ditzy, slightly forgetful etc, since around 70, I’ve noticed it increasing a little. She was telling me recently how she feels tired after doing fairly simple things like cleaning etc and doesn’t do it as much. She also said she doesn’t like travelling anymore (airports/flying) and sometimes feels a bit anxious..like what if she’s forgotten something and so on. She’s someone who’s never been anxious before, just not that type of person.
Today on a walk, she just fell flat down, she had tripped over a tree root, but also told me how, recently she was on her knees looking for something and just sort of lost balance and fell onto her head, banging it.
This seems to have happened mainly in the last couple of years.

Am I being unduly worried about her?

She needs GP input. My initial thought would be low blood pressure.

I have white brain disease, which is common in older people. It is part of the aging process and I now walk with a stick to help me balance. I had a brain scan where it was detected. Get her to visit her GP.

There's a huge range of ability and fitness for people in their 70s.

If she is tripping and falling and losing strength I would definitely suggest her looking at yoga/ pilates and weights to keep her fitness and prevent decline.

My brain stops processing things (including speech)

As we get older, we start to lose our hearing for high frequency consonants (c, t, s, f, th, p...) so speech becomes more indistinct. It takes more cognitive capacity to make sense of speech so there is less available to actually make sense of what we hear.

Processing new and unfamiliar information is just harder.

The biggest avoidable cause of confusion and dementia is hearing loss. People will complain that "Everyone mumbles nowadays" and "And if they would just raise their voice." TV volume gets higher and higher. And then it becomes too hard to hear at all. "But there's nothing wrong with my hearing".

Everyone should get their hearing checked regularly. And, if they Audiologist recommends hearing aids, believe them. And wear them.

Ok just asked her and she said she put her arms out as it was just her instinct to stick her arms out as she felt herself fall.
She does have cataracts and has had the operation on one eye and waiting for the other.

It’s not ok OP, you need to get her checked out. Could be a TIA (a mini stroke) or the onset of dementia. The earlier these things are diagnosed the better.

What could be the mini stroke, the falling?

Both FIL and my mum had similar at this age - increased anxiety about travel or doing new things, and quite serious falls in public. Sadly they both went on to develop dementia.

I don’t want to increase your worries about your mum, but like lots of people have said, persuade her to see a GP. It may be something or it may be nothing, and if it’s nothing you’ve done no harm.

One note of caution: IME GPs are highly reluctant to test for, refer for or diagnose dementia. It’s more likely to be put down to natural age-related deterioration until the illness is unavoidably obvious, so you have to push quite hard for the correct tests. It may be different in your area though.

People really underestimate the impact of strokes. I did until my parents started having them. It's brain damage, plain and simple. Like any other brain injury the worst affected functions relate to the affected brain area. Brains are complex, interconnected things so, when one bit goes off, other functions are collaterally affected. You can't say what is and isn't brain damage, it all depends.

The FAST check is very important when somebody's having an obvious glitch, as they may be having a stroke there & then. Most TIAs occur during sleep or, if awake, tend to present as an unremarkable 'absence' - staring off into space, which we all do from time to time, or something like dropping a fork.

When my stepfather had a medium-sized stroke (he was blue-lighted at extraordinary speed), nothing dramatic happened. He just stopped talking mid-sentence and looked vague. Fortunately he was talking to a very alert friend, who got him to do the FAST check while dialling 999.

The clock test is great for diagnosing serious brain damage, and it's always worth trying if you observe something that might be a stroke. Another thing I hadn't realised: the person who draws a crowded half-clock actually sees a proper clock when they look at their sketch.

Clair's right, strokes do make people feel unsure of themselves as they're aware they aren't navigating the stairs (for example) quite right but can't seem to figure it out.

Well speaking as someone now in her 70s, I do feel older. Some of it may be down to various conditions I've very recently been diagnosed with, some down to the medication (is your mum taking any @Rememberthetimes ?)

But two years ago I was totally different

Can I just say that there are lots of things that are easily sorted that also might explain some of your Mum's issues, has she had sight /hearing tests done recently, does she take any regular medication ? Has she had her B12 levels checked ? Thyroid issues ? when was the last time she actually saw a GP ?

Well that's disorientating

Does she wear glasses? I found it weird till I had both eyes done and could get new glasses

Basically, how are her reflexes?

My husband’s mother is the same age and had balance problems recently - it was an inner ear issue which has since been operated on.

On the other hand; my mum is also 72 and she can still get up from the floor with her legs crossed without using her hands. I can’t even do that 😂

My 92 year old grandfather regularly drives up to Scotland - from the south coast.

Balance does decline. You need to work on it . There are exercises online or she could join a gym. I hope all's well with your mum healthwise, but after a check-up I'd suggest she does some work on maintaining health and independence anyway.

@Rememberthetimes OP I think you need to do some of your own research! you wont find exactly the same scenario with everyone!! if you are not happy with your mother, take her to the doc!

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

Thank you everyone, I will have to convince her to go to the Dr for a check up

No. She should see her GP for investigations