Do you ever forget where you’ve placed your remote, or just can’t recall the name of acquaintance? When this occurs, do you wonder if you are starting to develop dementia? It’s common to become somewhat more forgetful as you age. The question is, how you can tell whether your memory lapses are part of normal aging or are a symptom of something more serious.
If you are in your 40’s, 50’s or 60’s, you may have noticed that you might need a bit longer to remember things, get distracted more easily or struggle to multi-task as well as you once did. You may worry that these are an early sign of dementia, it is important not to worry too much. While these changes are frustrating at times, they are a part of normal aging.
By contrast, people with dementia have a loss of memory and other mental function severe enough that it affects their ability to live independently at home, interact is social activities and at work. While some memory loss, such as recall and recognition, is the result of the aging brain, dementia is some type of injury to the brain that goes beyond normal changes. For a variety of reasons, once-healthy neurons (nerve cells) in the brain stop working, lose connections with other brain cells, and die.
Dementia can cause a significant decline in a person’s mental abilities by affecting their capacity for things like memory, thinking and reasoning.
Although people in the earliest stages of dementia often sense the something is wrong, the illness eventually deprives them of the insight necessary to understand their problems. So it’s usually up to a family member or friend to recognize the symptoms. The Alzheimer’s Association, Know the 10 Signs brochure highlights a list of 10 signs that should not be ignored.
- Memory loss that is severe enough to disrupt daily life-for example, asking for information over and over again.
- Challenges in planning or solving problems, such as trouble following a recipe or keeping track of monthly bills.
- Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work, or at leisure-for example, trouble driving to a familiar location.
- Confusion over time or place.
- Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships, including difficulty judging distances and determining color.
- New problems with words in speaking or writing, including difficulty following or joining a conversation.
- Putting things in unusual places and being unable to find them again.
- Decreased or poor judgement-for example, giving large amounts of money to telemarketers or paying less attention to personal hygiene.
- Withdrawal from work or social activities.
- Changes in mood and personality, including becoming suspicious, depressed, fearful, or anxious.
If after reading this list you are worried about yourself or someone close to you, arrange for a medical evaluation. Making a diagnosis of dementia requires a thorough examination by a physician. Many forms of dementia are not reversible, but early detection provides an opportunity to minimize other medical conditions that may bring on severe dementia symptoms earlier than they might otherwise show.
If you would like to learn more about your memory, please join us at 10a.m. on Wednesdays in May for the Virtual Master of Memory. These four sessions will be offered online. Sessions will include information on memory strategies, nutrition, medications, medical conditions, and exercise for the body and mind.
Sessions are free – but registration is required. You may register here: https://go.osu.edu/masterofmemory
Written by: Kathy Tutt, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension-Clark County, tutt.19@osu.edu
Reviewed by: Roseanne Scammahorn, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension-Darke County, scammahorn.5@osu.edu
Sources:
Alzheimer’s Association, https://www.alz.org/
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/All-Disorders/Dementia-Information-Page
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