Age-related memory loss and dementia are not the same. Dementia-related memory loss affects your ability to do daily activities on your own; such as pay bills on time, manage a checkbook or take medications as prescribed. Age-related memory loss is more of a nuisance than a problem.
“Age-related cognitive decline affects your ability to attend, think quickly and retrieve information such as names or words,” said Neuropsychologist Matthew Powell, Ph.D., Marshfield Clinic Minocqua Counseling Center. “It causes lapses in attention and periodic forgetting. Depression, anxiety, fatigue and pain can make these normal memory lapses worse for some people.”
Alzheimer’s disease will typically result in prominent forgetfulness of recent events or conversations and often leads to repetitive questioning by those affected. Autobiographical or lifetime memories, also known as remote memory, will remain adequately preserved in people with age-related memory loss and memory loss related to mild Alzheimer’s disease.
For most, the ability to process information, including memory, gradually improves through young adulthood. With each passing decade, it slowly declines. By middle age, it is normal to develop a sense that memory is less crisp than it once was.
“Memory loss that accompanies Alzheimer’s disease will typically be quite apparent to others, but not so much to the patients,” said Dr. Powell. “If you are recognizing that you are becoming more forgetful, this is reassuring. It is more concerning when others recognize your forgetfulness and you do not. I am most concerned about a patient experiencing memory loss when it is noticed by others and not by the patient, or when anxiety about memory loss is interfering with a person’s work or daily activities. These are situations when patients should speak to their doctor.”
Diagnosis for dementia typically includes some common laboratory tests to rule out treatable causes. Sometimes a brain scan is ordered to look for visible changes to the brain. “Neuropsychological testing can also be ordered by a physician and is the best method of determining whether a person’s memory loss is age-appropriate or suggestive of some other form of dementia,” said Dr. Powell.
Although rapid forgetfulness is an early sign of Alzheimer’s disease, other forms of dementia should not be overlooked. “Non-Alzheimer’s dementias may present with changes in speech, difficulty in processing visual information or problems with motor skills such as walking,” said Dr. Powell. “Personality and behavior changes can also be early indicators of dementia.”
It is important to talk with your doctor about any meaningful change in mental or physical health so that an appropriate evaluation can be started.
“Patients often ask how to prevent dementia or maintain cognitive health,” said Dr. Powell. “A good rule of thumb is to do for your brain what you should do for your heart. Stop smoking; manage high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes; and remain moderately active physically, socially, spiritually and mentally. Do activities that are stimulating and keep your mind and body healthy.”
