Current Events > Is it normal for a 74 y/o to forget where they parked in a parking lot that they

(+) Yeah! (+)

commonly park in?

Cause that's what happened to my dad yesterday. He forgot where he parked in a Walmart he commonly goes to and spent like an hour finding the car. He found it eventually though by himself.

Is this common aging?

People of all ages forget where they park from time to time.

My partner used to often forget where she parked in her 20s. It happens to a lot of people. I avoid this issue by always parking down the middle isle with the entrance regardless of how much of a longer walk it might be.

The_Sock posted...

Is this common aging?

No.

Source: this has been happening to me since I was 17 so clearly aging has nothing to do with it.

Of course these days I can wander around pushing a button to make my car honk. Without it I'd never find it most days.

i sure hope so because i do it in my early 30s

Fun trick:

Point your key fob under your chin and aimed up a little towards the upper back of your head, then start hitting the button.

It uses your skullcap as a reflector and damn near doubles the remote range.

I'm 30 and its a guarantee that I forget where I parked unless it's one of those parking lots with lettered rows (like each lamp post in that row has a big "A" on it or something)

even when I go to get gas and pay inside the store, I forget which pump I parked at and have to look to see which one to ask for cus I have accidentally paid for other people's gas before by giving the wrong pump number to the clerk

Life Hack:

pay attention to whatever you are currently doing.

Robot2600 posted...

Life Hack:

pay attention to whatever you are currently doing.

huh?

I'm 40 and have had this problem for 20 years. I just hit the panic button my my key fob.

The_Sock posted...

commonly park in?

Cause that's what happened to my dad yesterday. He forgot where he parked in a Walmart he commonly goes to and spent like an hour finding the car. He found it eventually though by himself.

Is this common aging?

By itself, this isn't an issue to be concerned about. However, if there is a pattern of forgetfulness or memory loss, then you should start broaching the subject of going in for testing.

for normal daily activities, like going to the grocery store, i am shocked at how many of you forget where you parked. this is only a problem for me at giant parking lots, like airports, football games or concerts. and for that stuff, i take a photo of where i parked so i don't forget (esp clutch when long term parking at the airport).

Giant_Aspirin posted...

for normal daily activities, like going to the grocery store, i am shocked at how many of you forget where you parked. this is only a problem for me at giant parking lots, like airports, football games or concerts. and for that stuff, i take a photo of where i parked so i don't forget (esp clutch when long term parking at the airport).

For groceries the closer I can get to the store the easier it is for me to remember. If I have to park way in the back that's when I have trouble.

I'm 36 and will regularly forget where I park at the grocery store that I've been going to every week for years. Thankfully it's not a big parking lot, and it's just a matter of looking down the different lanes to spot the old pollen-covered car.

If I ever had to find it in a parking structure, I'd be SOL.

I have done that the entire time I've been driving.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]



Tyranthraxus posted...

For groceries the closer I can get to the store the easier it is for me to remember. If I have to park way in the back that's when I have trouble.

something i do when i park in larger lots often, like work or the grocery close to my house, is park in roughly the same area every time. routine helps me remember stuff.

DrizztLink posted...

Fun trick:

Point your key fob under your chin and aimed up a little towards the upper back of your head, then start hitting the button.

It uses your skullcap as a reflector and damn near doubles the remote range.

I'm no medical professional. Completely ignorant of radio waves and their effect on our bodies. But isn't this a bad idea?

J03can posted...

I'm no medical professional. Completely ignorant of radio waves and their effect on our bodies. But isn't this a bad idea?

It's not a bad idea per se but it doesn't work as skulls aren't made of the kind of material necessary to create this effect. It won't hurt you, but the worst thing that can happen is you look silly.

If you're looking for range, just lift your arm as high as you can and spin your wrist around like a periscope while pushing the button

J03can posted...

I'm no medical professional. Completely ignorant of radio waves and their effect on our bodies. But isn't this a bad idea?

I can't imagine it's any worse than being in an area that gets radio reception, the waves are already everywhere.

Tyranthraxus posted...

It's not a bad idea per se but it doesn't work as skulls aren't made of the kind of material necessary to create this effect.

I've personally had it work dozens of times.

No pointing, car can't get signal.

Pointing, car gets signal.

Could be confirmation bias but it's happened often enough.

Giant_Aspirin posted...

for normal daily activities, like going to the grocery store, i am shocked at how many of you forget where you parked. this is only a problem for me at giant parking lots, like airports, football games or concerts. and for that stuff, i take a photo of where i parked so i don't forget (esp clutch when long term parking at the airport).

Yeah, if it's something you do regularly, your brain is like "well, this is the same old memory, no need to record it this time" and then you get confused.

If I were parked in a lot with at least one other vehicle that looks anything like mine, I'm in trouble. I've never had a sense of direction. I wouldn't worry about your dad unless other things like this start happening. Sometimes people just have one of those days, or one of those moments, where everything gets derailed.

If it happens once or twice , there should be nothing to worry about but if it something that happens a lot I would look into it . Like others have said, most of us have done that.

Some people just can't remember where they parked, it's wild.

I remember every time without effort, my gf can never remember.

Forgetting where you parked is normal.

Forgetting that you have a car is dementia.

Sure it's normal to forget exactly where you parked sometimes...but for an hour? That doesn't seem normal to me.

Darkinsanity1 posted...

Sure it's normal to forget exactly where you parked sometimes...but for an hour?

Odds are, it takes an hour for a 74 year old just to walk around the entire area of a multi-level parking lot.

Dakimakura posted...

Forgetting where you parked is normal.
Forgetting that you have a car is dementia.

Yeah, but there are intermediate signs that you can look for so we don't have to wait until full-blown dementia to prepare for it.

it's kinda normal to forget in a big lot. But usually you know that general place.

taking an hour though to find it?. wtf.

Has he always remembered? Is there anything else he forgets now?.

I remembered my dad having good memory for his age. Though the last 1.5-2 years before he was diagnosed, he was complaining about his memory and saying his memory wasn't like it used to be, and he would often repeat things back to me. Sometimes he would ask me if this was the street we would turn into driving back from a relative's place. It was subtle and not super obvious. I passed it off as '"old age." He got diagnosed with grade 3 brain cancer back in 2020, and then passed away 11 months later. This was after he started feeling nauseous and throwing up. The cancer he had supposedly could be with him for 1.5 years before diagnosis.

I would keep an eye on him. if he is known to have a good memory and its noticably gotten worse, then I would go to a doctor and get it diagnosed. You would have to ask for a cat scan (radiation) or MRI. It doesn't always affect the memory first either, if it's something like a tumor (depends on the location).Depending on what it is. Dementia, brain tumor, etc.

I always wished I could have found the tumor earlier before it turned into grade 2. Grade 3 wild types don't respond well to treatment.. How does anyone ever know? At least I can warn others about it. If something feels or looks off about your body, look into it. Don't ignore it. Nausea, vomiting, blood in stools, dark lines in nails, skin color turning yellow, having noticably less energy, etc.

Just let your phone remember where you park and then it'll do it for you

Arcanine2009 posted...

taking an hour though to find it?. wtf.

How long do you think a 74 year old needs to walk the entire area of a multi-level parking lot?

Arcanine2009 posted...

Sometimes he would ask me if this was the street we would turn into driving back from a relative's place. It was subtle and not super obvious. I passed it off as '"old age."

That is definitely an early warning sign.

Parking lots that I frequent are the only ones that I ever lose my car in. Especially if the portion that I usually park in is full and I have to park in a different part of the lot. It's not really a "where did I park?" situation. More like "Where did I park this time? "

Do keep an eye on your Dad if there is a pattern of memory loss, but as others have said I am in my 40s, and this has been happening since I started driving at 16. I can just never remember where I parked.

My wife and I got engaged while we were in college, but we spent the summer before senior year apart in the cities where we grew up. She visited me for a month. I took her to the airport and was distraught, and when I kissed her goodbye and watched her plane leave, I realized that in all the sadness I had completely forgotten where I had parked. In a major airport in a parking garage that was miles long.

I was there, wandering around for HOURS. It was like that Seinfeld parking garage episode. This was in a time before beeping fobs and a time before cell phones, so I just wandered every damn level of the thing until I finally found the car. I took her to the plane in the afternoon with the sun still shining and I got home when it was dark. My parents thought I had died or something, but it was just me flailing about for my car, too heartbroken to keep track of where it was.

__aCEr__ posted...

People of all ages forget where they park from time to time.

Thats why I tend to park in the the same place.

lydiaquayle posted...

That is definitely an early warning sign.

his night vision was also not great, but perhaps so.

for parking spots, I'd after getting out look around and keep a mental image/more of where I parked. Can refer to some landmarks. Also, taking a pic can help.

Using your car key under your chin helps find it easier too

The_Sock posted...

He forgot where he parked in a Walmart he commonly goes to and spent like an hour finding the car.

It's Walmart. There are no assigned parking spaces. I forget where I park every time.

Even if someone has a handicapped tag they could still get lost. Half the parking lot is handicapped spots.

I think it's normal for this to happen to anyone of any age.

I don't see how the frequency to which you use a certain parking lot necessarily helps with this. What would maybe help is if you consistently parked in the same stall, but I assume that's not necessarily something you get to pick.

To prevent this, I park at the very back of the lot on the same spot every single time. It's basically impossible for me to forget where.

Taking an hour? literally just set your car alarm off at a few center points

Robot2600 posted...

Life Hack:

pay attention to whatever you are currently doing.

i'm glad you're rich enough to pay attention

Gobstoppers12 posted...

To prevent this, I park at the very back of the lot on the same spot every single time. It's basically impossible for me to forget where.

This. I have to park in the same spot any time I go to the store otherwise Ill forget.

Thanks for the responses ya'll. I really appreciate it and I read all of them!