Dear Eric: I am in my early 70s and most of my friends are also in their 70s. I forget things now and so do my friends. But some are forgetting way more than others. So, when I talk to a friend, and they respond to something I have said before as if it were new, what do I say?

My husband and I are in our 70s and retired to a new community. We are engaged in church ministries and social groups that meet for dinner periodically. I volunteer and he is an avid golfer. My problem is not being able to turn new relationships into meaningful friendships.

In today's Asking Eric column, R. Eric Thomas responds to a question about how to deal with being more forgetful as you age.

The website for the Alzheimer’s Association ( alz.org) has a 10-step guide to approaching memory concerns in others. The major components are: Assessing the situation – noting changes, considering what else is going on,

Maybe this is a normal part of getting older or maybe I am making too much of it, but it is beginning to bother me.