Many people have memory lapses that are nothing to be concerned about. Losing track of your phone or house keys isn’t a big deal unless it happens daily. There is a difference between forgetfulness and dementia, so keep these distinctions in mind if you’re worried you may need to transition a loved one to memory care:
Forgetfulness
The National Institutes of Health noted that memory changes as we age. Older individuals are more likely to forget things than their younger counterparts. Many seniors will perform worse than adults on learning tests or complex memory exams. However, given ample time, seniors can earn the same scores – it just takes longer for the answers to come to them. Age-related memory loss can make it more challenging to learn new things, cause a person to lose sight of personal objects, and cause a senior to forget more complex information.
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Dementia can lead to seniors becoming lost.Dementia
While forgetfulness may be a symptom of dementia, this disease is much more serious than forgetting things on occasion. The difference between the two is major – like leaving your wallet at home versus leaving home and not remembering where you live. Dementia is a form of mild cognitive impairment and can be diagnosed by a neurologist. If you are concerned a loved one has dementia, take the individual to see a doctor. After discussing symptoms and a series of tests, including blood and urine samples, the physician will offer their thoughts on the person’s health.
This condition can include many aspects, from getting lost to an inability to follow directions and a tendency to repeat questions or stories. Some seniors who have dementia forget who their friends are, don’t understand the passage of time, and cannot navigate from one place to another. Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia that can affect a person’s safety, taking away their ability to drive, handle money, or live alone. People with Alzheimer’s may neglect their safety, forgetting to bathe and brush their teeth or even eat properly. This disease’s progression is typically slow as the person loses functioning over the years.
“Lack of blood supply to the brain can cause dementia.”
Another common form of the condition is vascular dementia. This occurs after some brain tissues and cells die during a stroke or other changes in the blood supply to the brain. It can also occur suddenly in the event of a lack of oxygen to the vital tissues of the brain. Vascular dementia can alter a person’s ability to speak, memory, reasoning skills, and coordination. Some people with the condition also have mood swings and personality changes.
Take your senior friend or family member to the doctor for more severe memory issues or sudden cognitive troubles after a fall or medical incident. While dementia is not reversible, a diagnosis can help you ensure the person you care about is in good hands. This may mean helping them transition to memory care to live a comfortable life with safety parameters set specifically for assisting individuals with memory issues.
