Shvat Eilat
Older people who suspect impending memory loss face an intensified gaze of others during moments of forgetfulness. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork with individuals contemplating cognitive decline in Israel, I analyze how "significant others" can become "signifying others." Through three ethnographic vignettes, I explore regimes of gaze around forgetful moments. Building on Goffman's dramaturgy and anthropological work on aging and cognitive change, I argue that dementia functions as a specter shaping everyday interactions through "vernacular diagnosis," where informal assessments position momentary lapses within decline trajectories, prompting responses including protective laughter, strategic concealment, and orchestrating what can be known about oneself.