PIBULJ Article December  2010

Are lawyers losing their memories?

Professor Hugh Koch

Are you ever concerned about forgetting things? The following ‘memory events’ are probably normal:

1.       Putting things down and forgetting where they are (reason: brain overload).
2.     Forgetting a social plan for the weekend (reason: distraction when initially discussed).
3.     Forgetting names of people you meet recently (reason: brain overload)
4.     Forgetting where you parked your car (reason: spatial memory is different between people).
5.     Repeating a conversation.
6.     Difficulty multitasking (busy people need lists).

Do these ring a bell? Don’t worry – they do for most people. If however, the above events happen repeatedly and frequently and others repeatedly and sympathetically point them out, then this may be of concern. When they get to the stage of making you (or others) angry, causing you to frequently lose the thread of a conversation, forgetting family members, confusion driving, and everyday life is affected, then maybe get your memory assessed. If this all makes sense in the context of your life, it will help you to understand your claimant’s possible forgetfulness too.