Spud, you can trace threads you want to come back to. Just look near the bottom of this page, right above the "Repy to Thread" box. You can click on "Add Thread to Tracer." When you go to your personal page ("Personal Pages" in the banner at the top), you'll have a list of all the threads you've traced. You can un-trace them whenever you want.

If I suddenly found songs in my head from long ago, I'd write them down or sing them into a tape player and send them to a friend to transcribe.

I'd probably also write down my strongest/most important memories, or record them on tape.

I'd also probably start telling stories of my life while I could still remember it to everyone who would listen. Most folks wouldn't want to listen, but some would. I enjoy hearing others talk about their lives.

I think the frightening thing for a person with Alzheimer's is the stage when they know they're losing themselves and are powerless to stop it. It might be a little less frightening if they knew someone would remember for them.

As far as short term memory, my mom used to make lists of reminders and stick them on the refrigerator after her (minor) stoke. Keeping a journal wouldn't be a bad idea either, and it's easy to do on a computer.