How to Tell Normal Forgetfulness From Dementia in the Elderly

The aging process can cause significant changes in the brain.  As a result, it is not very uncommon by the time some reach their seventies to experience mild forgetfulness.  Sometimes, this mild forgetfulness can be mistaken by younger family members as a sign of dementia.  While in many cases it can be a precursor to what is known as Mild Cognitive Impairment, or MCI, which is a condition that often leads to dementia, often times it is just a consequence of the aging brain.

So, how do we tell the difference with our elderly family members and friends between a sign of MCI or dementia, and just normal mild forgetfulness?

The brain, in different sections, to varying degrees and individuals, can undergo changes as we age.  Some of those changes can render us more susceptible to dementia, while others experience only mild forgetfulness.

Associative Behaviors and Personality Changes

 

People with dementia generally undergo behavioral changes that may either greatly exaggerate or sometimes run contrary to their normal personality.

 

Is the person exhibiting signs of depression?  Social withdrawl, often seems in a down mood.  Perhaps apathetic to life in general?  Depression, especially if the person has no history of it in the past, can be associated with early stage dementia.

Does your family member display a significant change in appetite?  Either greater or less?  Both symptoms can be evident of depression.  People tend to eat more, or less, depending on the individual, when they are depressed.

Is your family member becoming aggressive, and excessively frustrated more easily?  Especially when they are having trouble remembering things they are sure they should remember?  Or just seem to have a shorter fuse overall?  Aggressive behavior in the elderly may be born out of a general feeling of anxiety resulting from the disorientation that comes with dementia.

Is your family member's sleeping schedule significantly altered?  Are they staying up when they previously habitually slept, and vice versa?  The changes in the brain related to dementia can alter a person's circadian rhythm.

The Things They are Forgetting

 

We've all done it.  You have your keys in your hand, and then go looking for them.  Or maybe just put them down two seconds ago, and it takes you a few minutes to find them.  You walk into a room, and forget why you came in.  Or opened a closet door, and forgot what you are looking for.  These things can happen in more ways, and with more frequency, to the elderly.  That can be chalked up to mild forgetfulness that comes with age.

On the other hand, there are things that would be considered far more abnormal to forget.  For instance, it is easy to attribute forgetting why you came into a room as a mind slip, something that would be a cause for concern is forgetting where you are.  If you are visiting your elderly parent, grandparent, et. al, and they get up to go to the bathroom, and then come back into their living room to resume your visit and asking, "Where am I?" would be a major cause for concern.

 

If they habitually forget things such as their own age, the names of their children or grandchildren, those would be examples that should raise your concern.

If they confide to you that they have had trouble finding their way home after going to common places like their usual grocery store of choice, their favorite nearby restaurant - or have had difficulties finding their way there from home, that is often a sign of early stage dementia.

There are certainly other examples that cannot all be listed.  Use your judgment.  Is this something that should not be forgotten?  Or are these mind slips that anyone can have?  If something catches your concern, observe and converse with your loved one about things that he or she may have had trouble remembering.  If red flags go off, have them looked at by a specialist.