We all have days in our lives when we tend to forget the name of the person in front of us, or when we do not know which individual to call for help. We have also misplaced some personal belongings, in one way or the other. We think these things are normal when we are young, but when one gets older, it can be an entirely different thing. If your aging parents are in these scenarios, it is for sure that you want to know about normal forgetfulness in seniors.
How Age-Related Memory Loss Affects The Brain
New brain cells are produced by the brain, regardless of whether you are young or old. With this, memory loss is not really a result of aging. Like with any other organ in the body, using the brain is imperative if you do not want to lose your memory. Since some lifestyle choices and habits can impact the brain’s health, you need to consider how to change all these things to prevent memory loss later.
Memory Loss in Older People
Your aging parents may have been showing signs of forgetfulness. This happens because they tend to have a decreased blood flow to the brain, an activity that is said to impair one’s memory, thus leading to changes when it comes to cognitive skills. Note that hormones as well as certain types of proteins that are helpful in repairing brain cells may decline with age. This explains why memory loss can become a problem for older people.
Differentiating Dementia With Normal Forgetfulness
Dementia includes a list of disorders that leads to cognitive decline. You need to separate this from normal forgetfulness for you to determine which one your parent is suffering from. Basically, you need to consider the types of memory lapses that are normal among aging adults. These ones are not to be mistaken as warning signs of dementia.
Forgetting things that you use regularly, particularly your keys and eyeglasses, is part of the list that is considered normal. The same is true when you occasionally forget an appointment or the reason behind why you have entered a certain place. Forgetting the names of people who you are close to, or accidentally calling a child with the name of another child is also normal. Having problems saying things because they are on the tip of your tongue, as well as getting easily distracted when doing something are also part of normal forgetfulness.
Age-Related Memory Loss is Not A Disability
This sets it apart from dementia. When memory lapses have little impact on what you normally do on a daily basis, then it is considered age-related memory loss. To differentiate it from dementia, your loved one must already be suffering from at least two intellectual abilities like abstract thinking, judgment, language, and memory.
When you think your loved ones are suffering far beyond what normal forgetfulness covers, you might want to consider various living options that will help enrich their daily lives. There are communities, like SummerHouse Heritage Woods, that devise plans to keep your family members doing the things that they want to do, including attending events that they have always wished to be part of.
