We’ve all misplaced keys, blanked on someone’s name, or forgotten a phone number. When you’re young, you don’t tend to pay much attention to these lapses, but as you grow older, you may worry about what they mean. Perhaps you start to talk about a movie you saw recently when you realize you can’t remember the title. You’re giving directions to your house when you suddenly blank on a familiar street name. Or you find yourself standing in the middle of the kitchen wondering what you went in there for. Memory lapses can be frustrating, but most of the time they aren’t cause for concern. Age-related memory changes are not the same thing as dementia.
You undergo physiological changes as you get older, which can cause glitches in brain functions that you've always taken for granted. Learning and recalling information takes longer. You're not quite as fast as you used to be. Actually, this slowing of the mental processes can be mistaken for actual memory loss. But in most situations, the knowledge will come to mind if you allow yourself time. So, while it's true that when it comes to aging, some brain changes are inevitable, significant memory issues are not one of them. That's why understanding the difference between normal age-related forgetfulness and the symptoms that could suggest a cognitive impairment that is emerging is crucial.
Age-related memory loss and the brain
At any age, the brain is able to generate new brain cells, so severe memory loss is not an unavoidable result of aging. But you have to use or lose it, just as it is with muscle strength. Your lifestyle, behaviors, and everyday activities have an immense effect on your brain's health. There are several ways you can develop your thinking abilities, avoid memory loss, and preserve your gray matter, regardless of your age.
In addition, many mental skills are mainly unchanged by natural aging, such as:
Your desire to do the stuff you have always done and sometimes want to do
The insight and knowledge you have obtained from the experience of life
Your inherent common sense and the ability to form logical arguments and decisions
Normal forgetfulness vs. dementia
Occasional short-term memory lapses are a common part of the aging process for most persons, not a warning sign of severe mental decline or the development of Alzheimer's or other dementia.
In older adults, the following forms of memory lapses are common and are usually not considered warning signs of dementia:
Often you forget where you left items that you frequently use, such as glasses or keys.
Forgetting acquaintances' names or blocking a memory with a similar one, such as calling a grandson by the name of your son.
Forgetting an appointment or walking into a room sometimes and forgetting why you entered.
Easily become distracted or have difficulty recalling what you have just read, or a conversation's specifics.
Not quite being able to retrieve "on the tip of your tongue" knowledge you have.
Does your memory loss affect your ability to function?
The key distinction between memory loss and dementia associated with age is that the former is not debilitating. Memory lapses have no impact on your everyday success and your desire to do what you want to do. Dementia, on the other hand, in two or more intellectual skills such as memory, language, judgment, and abstract thought, is characterized by a gradual, debilitating deterioration.
You may experience the warning signs of Alzheimer's disease or another disorder that causes dementia, or a condition that mimics dementia, if memory loss becomes so pervasive and serious that it disrupts your job, interests, social activities, and family relationships.
Symptoms of mild cognitive impairment (MCI)
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is an intermediate period between normal cognitive changes associated with age and the more extreme symptoms indicating dementia.
MCI may include memory, vocabulary, perception, and judgment issues that are greater than normal age-related changes, although there is not always a direct line between MCI and normal memory problems. Sometimes, the difference is one degree. It's natural as you age, for instance, to have some trouble remembering people's names. It is not natural, however, to forget your close family and friends' names and then still be unable to remember them after a period of time.
You and your family or close friends would likely be aware of the deterioration in your memory or mental function if you have moderate cognitive disability. But you are still able to work in your everyday life without relying on others, unlike people with full-blown dementia.
While several individuals with MCI ultimately develop Alzheimer's disease or another type of dementia, this does not mean that it is unavoidable. At a relatively mild decline point, some individuals with MCI plateau, while others even return to normal. It is hard to foresee the course, but in general, the higher the degree of memory failure, the greater the chance of developing dementia some time in the future.
When to see a doctor for memory loss
When memory lapses become severe enough or reasonably obvious to worry you or a family member, it's time to see a doctor. Make an appointment as soon as possible to meet with your primary doctor and have a detailed physical examination if you get to that point. Even if you don't have all the signs required to suggest dementia, it might now be a good time to take action to avoid a small problem from becoming a bigger one.
Your doctor will be able to determine your personal risk factors, assess your symptoms, remove reversible causes of memory loss, and help you get better treatment. Early diagnosis can be used to treat reversible causes of memory loss, minimize vascular dementia deterioration, or improve the quality of life of Alzheimer's or other dementia forms.