Is it common for senior citizens to forget where they have parked their car in large parking lots?

It happens to the best of us and at any particular age - not just us SCs. Football & Baseball stadium parking lots are usually filled with people wander around looking for their cars after a game especially the night games... I confess to that one too.... LOL

It is not an age thing for me I have always had this problem ever since I started driving when I was 16 years old. When I first moved to the Portland, OR area I went to Washington Square Mall in Beaverton. I had lived the last 5 years in Klamath Falls, OR and had forgotten how to drive the freeways, and park at a mall without losing my place. I wandered around for 1/2 and hour of so then I think someone drove me around in their parking lot guard cart until I finally found it. It was at that time I realized I needed to do the same thing I do at Disneyland where all the parking lots identify with a letter and a number. All you have to do is right them down and stick the note in your wallet then voila the tram picks you up and drops you off in exactly the right place.

So at WA Square I have to consciously make note of which entrance of which store I walked into. Such as Nordstroms 2nd level, young men's department where the jeans and tie dyed shirts are. If I am not sure I will remember I will write it all down including the fact that I parked in the 3rd row on the left side of the entrance, about 10 cars back. If I don't do this I could be on the wrong level without even knowing it and nothing will look familiar. It is also very important that I notice the actual items

of clothing that are displayed closest to the door I entered. Now they have so many different areas where they are selling clothing for boys, young men, or grown men and sometimes on different floors too if I don't pay attention there is a good chance I may have to wander around that store for a very long time just to find the door that will lead to where my car it.

I was 26 the first time I "lost" my car. Had to go downtown to the court house and ended up parking several streets away with the meter running. When I came out, all the streets and tall buildings looked alike! After several passes around lots of city blocks, a policeman took pity on me and drove me around till we found it. Since then, I have made a point to note landmarks and sometimes jot down my location. Worked very well.

Now at 60, I recently went back to UTA and parked in the south forty. Thought I had marked my location pretty good, but when I came out, the lot was full of cars. Spent 40 minutes locating it. The key thing didn't work for me (not loud enough). Since then, I have picked a better landmark, but farther away.

It is common for me since I was about 40! I am now twice that and make sure to park within sight of a store entrance so that, if push comes to shove, I can stand there with my shopping buggy/cart and slowly pan across from left to right until I spot my car's snoot. Another help is to put something bright and even silly on the antenna...a big fake flower works for this. I have added a bobble-head dog on the dash, visible thru the window, in case my ambiguous plain gray car-snoot seems too vague that day.

Getting old is NOT for sissies.

Yes, Because it is easy to get lost in a parking lot and even in the mall we usually park near the entrance of the store we want to go into so we know where we have parked our car at.

If I'm out of my usual parking area ,I often forget where I've parked if I don't take my bearings, the worst was when I just could NOT find it ,and a security person seeing my plight drove me in a little trolley thingy all around to find it..no car...then it hit me, we were on the first floor, and my car was parked on the ground floor !! found it straight away once we got down there .

It's parr for the course - happened to me even before I was considered a senior.

Now that I can no longer drive - I dream - over and over again - that I can't find my car.

And also - so happy - when I wake up and know - it's just a dream.lol!

I also dream often - of not being able to find my car keys.

DeeJay - I do have a good sense of direction.

There are devices to go on your key chain, and Android and Apple apps that can help you find your car in a parking lot. Personally, I always park in the same area away from the crowd so that works for me.

I can't ever remember seeing anyone that admitted they couldn't find their car. I always remember what row I parked in and the approximate number of spaces from the building. Haven't lost my car yet. Not saying it won't happen tomorrow.

lol...I helped a lady who had to be no more than 35 or 40 find her car at the mall a few months back...she couldn't find it to save her life...it was all I could do to keep a straight face while I questioned her about the type of car and which mall entrance she used and asked her to recount which way she drove in...it was pretty funny.

I've done it even in a small parking lot, but after walking around I've managed to find it if I click the alarm button on my key chain.