A number of conditions — not only Alzheimer’s disease — can cause memory loss in older adults. Getting a prompt diagnosis and appropriate care is important. Everyone forgets things at times. Perhaps you misplace your car keys or forget the name of a person you just met. Some degree of memory loss, as well as a modest decline in other thinking skills, is a fairly common part of aging. There’s a difference, however, between typical memory changes and memory loss associated with Alzheimer’s disease and related conditions. Sometimes memory symptoms are the result of treatable conditions. If you’re having memory loss, talk to your healthcare professional to get a diagnosis and appropriate care.
At What Point Is My Parents’ Memory Loss Concerning?
Memory Loss and Aging
Typical age-related memory loss doesn’t cause a major disruption in your daily life. For example, you might occasionally forget a person’s name but recall it later in the day. You might misplace your glasses sometimes. Or maybe you need to make lists more often than in the past to remember appointments or tasks.
These changes in memory are generally manageable and don’t affect your ability to work, live independently, or maintain a social life.
Memory loss and dementia
The word “dementia” is an umbrella term used to describe a set of symptoms. These symptoms include changes in memory, reasoning, judgment, language, and other thinking skills. Dementia usually begins gradually, worsens over time, and affects a person’s abilities in work, social interactions, and relationships.
Often, memory loss that disrupts your life is one of the first or more recognizable symptoms of dementia. Other early symptoms might include:
- Asking the same questions often.
- Forgetting common words when speaking.
- Mixing up words — saying the word “bed” instead of the word “table,” for example.
- Taking longer to complete familiar tasks, such as following a recipe.
- Misplacing items in odd places, such as putting a wallet in a kitchen drawer.
- Getting lost while walking or driving in a known area.
- Having changes in mood or behavior for no clear reason.
Diseases that cause damage to the brain that gets worse over time — and result in dementia — include:
- Alzheimer’s disease, the most common cause of dementia
- Vascular dementia
- Frontotemporal dementia
- Lewy body dementia
- Limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy
- A combination of several of these types of dementia, known as mixed dementia
The disease process, known as pathology, of each of these conditions is different. Memory loss isn’t always the first symptom, and the type of memory issue varies.
Mild Cognitive Impairment
This involves a notable decline in at least one area of thinking skills, such as memory. The decline is greater than the changes of aging and less than those of dementia. Having mild cognitive impairment doesn’t prevent you from doing everyday tasks and being socially engaged.
Researchers and healthcare professionals are still learning about mild cognitive impairment. For many people, the condition eventually worsens to dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease or another condition causing dementia.
For people with typical age-related memory loss, symptoms often don’t get much worse. People with age-related memory loss also don’t develop the spectrum of symptoms associated with dementia.
Reversible Causes of Memory Loss
Many medical conditions can cause memory loss or other dementia-like symptoms. Most of these conditions can be treated. Your healthcare professional can screen you for conditions that cause reversible memory loss.
Possible causes of reversible memory loss include:
- Medicines: Certain medicines or combinations of medicines can cause forgetfulness or confusion.
- A minor head injury: A head injury from a fall or an accident — even if you don’t lose consciousness — can cause memory issues.
- Emotional conditions: Stress, anxiety or depression can cause forgetfulness, confusion, difficulty concentrating, and other symptoms that disrupt daily activities.
- Alcohol use disorder: Alcohol use disorder can seriously impair mental ability. Alcohol also can cause memory loss by interacting with medicines.
- Too little vitamin B-12 in the body: Vitamin B-12 helps maintain healthy nerve cells and red blood cells. Not enough vitamin B-12 — common in older adults — can affect memory.
- Hypothyroidism: An underactive thyroid gland, known as hypothyroidism, can result in forgetfulness and other symptoms related to thinking.
- Brain diseases: A tumor or infection in the brain can cause memory loss or other dementia-like symptoms.
- Sleep apnea: Sleep apnea that is not treated can affect memory. This can be improved with treatment.
When to See a Doctor About Memory Loss
If you’re concerned about memory loss, seek medical care. There are tests to determine the degree of memory loss and diagnose the cause.
A member of your healthcare team is likely to ask you questions. It’s good to have a family member or friend along to answer some questions based on observations.
Questions might include:
- When did your memory symptoms begin?
- What medicines do you take and in what doses? This includes prescriptions, medicines you get without a prescription, and dietary supplements.
- Have you recently started a new medicine?
- What tasks do you find hard?
- What have you done to cope with memory loss?
- How much alcohol do you drink?
- Have you recently been in an accident, fallen, or injured your head?
- Have you recently been sick?
- Do you feel sad, depressed, or anxious?
- Have you recently had a major loss, a major change, or a stressful event in your life?
In addition to giving you a physical exam, your healthcare professional is likely to give you question-and-answer tests. These tests help judge your memory and other thinking skills. You may need blood tests, brain-imaging scans, and other tests that can help pinpoint reversible causes of memory loss and dementia-like symptoms.
You might be referred to a specialist in diagnosing dementia or memory conditions, such as a neurologist, psychiatrist, psychologist or geriatrician.
The Importance of a Diagnosis
Coming to terms with memory loss and the possible onset of dementia can be hard. Some people try to hide memory loss, and sometimes family members or friends compensate for a person’s loss of memory. Some people aren’t aware of how much they’ve adapted to the changes.
Getting a prompt diagnosis is important, even if it’s challenging. Identifying a reversible cause of memory loss enables you to get the right treatment. Also, an early diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease, or a related disorder is beneficial because you can:
- Begin treatments to manage symptoms.
- Educate yourself and your loved ones about the disease.
- Determine future care preferences.
- Identify care facilities or at-home care choices.
- Settle financial or legal matters.
Your healthcare team can help you find community resources and organizations, such as the Alzheimer’s Association. These resources and organizations can help you cope with memory loss and other dementia symptoms.
Signs to Look For
For many seniors, cognitive decline is a normal part of the aging process. Because you know your elderly parent better than anybody, you might be noticing changes in their behavior that are concerning. Forgetfulness could be a possible sign of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.
If you notice that your mom or dad is starting to forget things a lot more than they used to, it’s a good idea to keep a close eye on the situation. Looking for more information on Alzheimer’s and dementia? Learn the 5 signs that it might be time for Memory Care.
Difficulty Learning New Things
If your parent has a hobby or a passionate interest and is having a hard time retaining new information regarding it, this could be a sign that something is wrong. Keep a record of how often this happens with dates and times. It will be important in the evaluation process.
Not Able to Recall Words
Everyone occasionally has a hard time thinking of a specific word to use while having a conversation. However, if this is happening more frequently with your older loved one, it is something that should be noted and discussed with their doctor.
Financial Management
Suddenly struggling with basic personal financial management could be a sign of the beginning of cognitive impairment. If your parent always paid their bills on time, but now forget often, or can no longer balance their checkbook, it is time to seek help from a medical professional.
Poor Decision-Making Ability
Behavior that is uncharacteristic of your parent could be an indication that something has changed with them. For example, if mom or dad were always financially frugal, but now spend large amounts of money without hesitation, it could suggest that they are experiencing cognitive issues.
Take notice of any types of habitual behaviors, such as not wearing a seat belt, crossing the street without regard for traffic, or leaving the burner on the stove turned on.
No Sense of Time
One common sign of dementia setting in has to do with a loved one’s losing track of time or what day it is. Seniors in the beginning stages of cognitive impairment will often be confused about the date, whether it’s AM or PM, (also known as Sundown Syndrome), and also forget important occasions like birthdays or anniversaries. Keep a log of how often this happens and the extent of the confusion.
In our busy lives, all of us forget things at one time or another.
As we age, this can happen more frequently and can be a natural part of the aging process. Some older people have little or no change in their memory, but, in others, forgetfulness can begin to interfere with their lives in a noticeable way. This might involve leaving bills unpaid, stoves on, or doors open—all of which can create serious safety concerns.
Short-Term Memory Loss
Short-term memory (remembering recent events) is the type of memory that becomes impaired most often with aging. This might include planning, organizing, and following through with current events and activities. Often long-term memories of childhood or young adulthood remain vivid, even in the case of Alzheimer’s disease. So it is short-term memory that is important to assess when there are concerns about a possible decline.
Alzheimer’s Disease
In the case of Alzheimer’s disease, there might be many years of gradual change such that spouses and family members slowly take over responsibilities or daily duties that the individual had previously managed (for example, paying bills or making meals). When it becomes evident that the person is no longer able to do these tasks, an evaluation for possible Alzheimer’s disease or other memory disorders is needed.
Mild Memory Loss
On the other hand, many people notice memory loss but are able to continue to manage their household and monetary affairs without difficulty. While it is always good to seek an evaluation for someone if there are worries, in this group it is likely that the person simply has mild memory loss that is normal with age. Many healthy older people do not have any significant changes in their memory as they age. While slower retrieval of information is a frequent feature in these people (such as the “her name is on the tip of my tongue” phenomenon), they otherwise keep good memory function.
Delirium
An abrupt change in mental status is called “delirium” which is different from dementia. Delirium is a state of confusion that can happen over just a few days. Causes of delirium might be a urinary infection, pneumonia, dehydration, heart attack, or a response to medicine. Persons with delirium have trouble paying attention. They might not be oriented to the place and time, and they can have trouble carrying on a logical conversation. Older persons with delirium might appear excessively sleepy and confused.
It is important to recognize delirium since people with memory problems are especially prone to having episodes of delirium if they become ill. The healthcare provider should be notified immediately.
Once the medical problem is treated, the delirium might improve and the person will be less confused, but the memory problems from the underlying dementia will still be there.
Memory problems can be due to many other conditions besides Alzheimer’s disease.
These conditions include Parkinson’s disease, large and small strokes, depression, and thyroid disease, for example. A detailed review of medicines is essential since prescription, over-the-counter, or herbal remedies can contribute to memory problems.
Some of these conditions can be treated or managed so that symptoms improve or stabilize. This is why it is important to schedule a medical check-up for the older person if you notice memory problems, particularly if they go along with other problems such as a change in weight, loss of appetite, gait instability, loss of urine control, or other new physical symptoms.
What are Typical Age-Related Memory Changes?
Some changes in memory are related to aging but do not indicate serious memory problems. Here are some examples:
- Sometimes forgetting names or appointments, but remember them later.
- Making occasional errors when balancing a checkbook.
- Occasionally needing help to use the settings on a microwave or to record a television show.
- Getting confused about the day of the week but figuring it out later
- Sometimes having trouble finding the right word.
- Making a bad decision once in a while.
- Sometimes feeling weary of work, family, and social obligations
- Developing very specific ways of doing things and becoming irritable when a routine is disrupted
Your goals are to:
- Be alert for signs of short-term memory loss
- Be aware that memory changes often turn up as changes in daily functioning such as planning, organizing, and making decisions
- Make sure that memory changes are thoroughly evaluated by a doctor or nurse and that all appropriate treatments have been considered
- Keep a detailed record of all medicines the older person is taking, including prescription, over-the-counter, and any herbal remedies. This will help the doctor or nurse to decide whether these could be contributing to the problem
- Understand that delirium might occur in persons with dementia
- Learn techniques for helping reduce the emotional stress and burden of memory loss
Promedcare
Being a family-owned business, the owners of Promedcare are engaged in the day-to-day operations and get to know both clients and caregivers on a first-name basis. Having both owners and staff present vs. working remotely with our clients creates a feel of FAMILY and allows Promedcare to create an environment of care that reduces turnover and increases dedication to the brand. We provide 24/7 service with the ability to interact with Senior Management and the owners as needed.
Promedcare has evolved into a caring business that focuses on individuals’ specific needs and preferences. This type of care fosters independence, happiness, and a sense of familiarity by acknowledging older individuals’ desire to age in the comfort of their own homes.
For some, it’s to provide extensive ongoing care for an aging senior. For others, we offer a much-needed break or, respite care – such as a night out with a spouse, vacation, or simply a few hours of quiet time at home – for family members who provide regular care. We offer a wide range of care services customized for each individual client.
Promedcare services include Personal Care Services, Companion Care Services, Dementia / Alzheimer’s Care Services, and Respiratory Solutions.
Contact us today to see how Prodmedcare can help you!