What are some strategies for dealing with a parent who doesn't want to admit to serious memory loss?

Family's Testimonial: Advise visits w doctor in presence of nearest of kin & w a trusted friend or sibbling who had been instructed to document in a diary the incidents or moments of forgetfulness. The sibbling / frend can be engaged in narrating their own instances of forgetfullness just so the patient can be assured that memory loss can happen to anybody including the patient.

Why is it necessary?: You're not likely to win that argument, & if you do, the parent won't remember it! so, why push it? I'm only half-kidding. You have to deal with safety & happiness issues -but you do not need to emphasize inadequacy & advancing age. Aging is hard enough. Plus the elder is either competent or not; if so, leave them alone, & they'll adjust. If incompetent, admitting their limits won't help.