Source: The Care Guide

We all do it. We misplace keys, lose track of where we parked the car, forget the name of someone we just met. Our memory lapses seem to become more apparent as we get older, and we might even joke about having a “senior moment.”

A little forgetfulness is perfectly normal as we age. But a lot of forgetfulness, or certain kinds of forgetfulness, are not. They could signify the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, affecting one in 20 people over age 65. Since memory loss occurs both in healthy people and in people who are developing Alzheimer’s, it’s important to know what’s normal and what’s not. And it’s far better to find out sooner rather than later, because if it is Alzheimer’s, early diagnosis and treatment may be able to help you maintain your memory as long as possible.

MEMORY AND AGING

It’s a fact that our cognitive abilities peak in our twenties, then gradually decline. Normal age-related changes in the structure and the activity levels of the brain affect the way we store and retrieve information. The good news: for healthy people, age is not as significant a factor in memory loss as was once believed. In normal aging, even if we start forgetting a word or a name, our knowledge of language remains quite stable throughout our lives.

"Memory studies show that while younger people may remember word lists better, older ones do better at word meanings and general knowledge."

Alzheimer’s is not a part of normal aging. With Alzheimer’s, more serious changes in the brain, such as plaques and tangles that destroy brain cells, can affect memory dramatically. This kind of memory loss is persistent and progressive. So forgetting the name of a new neighbour is not necessarily cause for concern, but increasingly forgetting the names of people you’ve known well for years could signify a problem. Alzheimer’s also causes impaired judgment and faulty reasoning and usually leads to behavioural changes.

DID YOU KNOW...
Almost 300,000 Canadians have Alzheimer’s, a number that is expected to double in 25 years.

MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT 

Alzheimer’s can be preceded by a condition called Mild Cognitive Impairment, or MCI. People with MCI may function well, showing no signs of confusion, attention problems or language difficulties, but they show greater than normal memory loss. For instance, they may retain very little after reading a book and may routinely forget important appointments. About 12 percent of people over 65 with MCI develop Alzheimer’s every year, vs. only one to two percent of people without the condition. It’s essential to get any type of memory loss checked out, so treatment can begin early, when it will be of most benefit.