You probably don’t worry too much when you’re young about forgetting your keys, phone, or even the name of a person you just met. As you get older, forgetfulness becomes a bigger problem.
Why can’t I recall things the way I used to?” Could this be something more severe, such as Alzheimer’s? ?”
As you age, it’s common to have some memory issues. How can you tell if it’s Alzheimer’s or normal forgetfulness?
What is Alzheimer’s disease?
Early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease include:
- Loss of Concentration
- Significant Memory Issues
- disorientation
- changes in mood and personality
- irritability
- depression
These symptoms will become more severe as the disease advances. Alzheimer’s disease can include symptoms like:
- Memory loss
- difficulty in recognizing family members and friends
- impulsive behavior
- has difficulty with reading, writing and speaking
Alzheimer’s disease patients can experience the following symptoms as their brain continues to atrophy.
- Inability to recognize loved one
- Inability to move or speak
- difficulty swallowing and urinating
Most people with Alzheimer’s live 8-10 years following their diagnosis, but sometimes they can even live longer.
What is normal age-related forgetfulness?
The difference between Alzheimer’s and normal age-related memory loss is that the former does not interfere with your everyday life .
Normal aging causes forgetfulness to look like this:
- forgetting things like keys
- Asking people to repeat themselves more frequently
- learning new information takes longer
- Forgetting new faces or names
- Calling someone by the wrong name
- forgetting something that happened long ago
- Having difficulty finding the right word to say when you are speaking
These issues can be embarrassing, but they are not likely to have a major impact on your life. Alzheimer’s and other forms cognitive impairment will prevent you from fulfilling your responsibilities, and may interfere with your ability care for yourself.
When to See a Doctor
You should see a doctor if your forgetfulness has a significant impact on your life. For example, you may not remember to take your medication, pay your bills or attend appointments.
If your forgetfulness is and is accompanied by one or more of the following , you should see a physician.
- Trouble concentrating or focusing
- mood changes
- personality change
- confusion or disorientation
- difficulty with reading, writing, or speaking
- sudden or dramatic changes in cognitive abilities
- Inability to perform familiar tasks
- Withdrawal of social activities
Inform your doctor if a family member or you are experiencing these symptoms or if there is a history in your family of Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia. You are at a higher risk of Alzheimer’s as you age. Get checked out and be proactive.
To rule out Alzheimer’s or other conditions, your doctor may perform cognitive tests and recommend a scan of the brain or other imaging.
