As a leading provider of Alzheimer’s care and dementia care services in Western Montgomery and Upper Bucks County PA, this is a question we hear frequently. In fact, sometimes we even ask it of ourselves!
Recent research does confirm slow but general declines in brain functioning from one’s late 20’s through end of life. However, a current train of thought is that in middle age, when we start noticing mild memory loss, it is because we are comparing our current memory skills to those of our own younger selves, not to the normal performance of healthy individuals of our own age.
Even those normal changes with aging do frustrate us, right? So, take measures to prevent, or at least delay them. A study that taught people some “brain building” tasks, showed that the benefits lasted even five years later. Start your Brain Training Program now!
Another way to look at normal changes is to consider whether they really impact your daily life functioning. There must be a decline in normal functioning for a diagnosis of dementia which often leads to a need for some amount of dementia care.
Separating Normal Aging from Dementia
| Normal Aging | Dementia |
| Memory loss is transient and may be frustrating | Memory loss interferes with daily life |
| You made a “mess” of your checkbook once | You have difficulty thinking things through (e.g. can no longer figure out how to balance a checkbook) |
| You can retrace your steps to find something | You do not think to retrace your steps to find something |
| You forget todays date | You lose sense of place and time |
To learn more about normal healthy memory aging, read "Memory Changes in Older Adults" by the American Psychological Association or contact us!