Complications (1)
- Alzheimer's: Managing sleep problems
Definition (1)
- Early-onset Alzheimer's: When symptoms begin before 65
Risk factors (2)
- Diabetes and Alzheimer's linked
- Alzheimer's: Is it in your genes?
Symptoms (3)
- Alzheimer's or depression: Could it be both?
- Memory loss: When to seek help
- Alzheimer's stages: How the disease progresses
Tests and diagnosis (3)
- Diagnosing Alzheimer's: An interview with a Mayo Clinic specialist
- Positron emission tomography (PET) scan
- SPECT scan
Treatments and drugs (3)
- Alzheimer's: Getting the most from medical appointments
- Alzheimer's drugs slow progression of disease
- Alzheimer's treatments: What's on the horizon?
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Memory loss: When to seek help
Many problems besides Alzheimer's can cause memory loss in older people. Before jumping to conclusions, consider the other possibilities.
By Mayo Clinic staffEveryone forgets things. How many times have you lost your car keys or forgotten the name of a person you just met? Forgetfulness tends to increase with age, but there's a big difference between normal absent-mindedness and the type of memory loss associated with Alzheimer's disease.
Normal aging and memory loss
Normal age-related memory loss doesn't prevent you from living a full and productive life. You just need more time to remember a name or the task you had set out to do. You're aware that you're forgetful and may even joke about it.
People with memory loss due to something other than normal aging, such as Alzheimer's disease, may feel that something's not quite right, but they're unable to pinpoint what's bothering them. Rather than call attention to a memory lapse, they may behave as if everything is fine.
Alzheimer's disease and memory loss
Memory loss associated with Alzheimer's disease gets worse over time, but it certainly isn't the only symptom of the disease. Some of the earliest signs and symptoms of Alzheimer's disease include:
- Asking the same questions repeatedly
- Difficulty remembering common words when speaking
- Mixing words up — saying "bed" instead of "table," for example
- Being unable to complete familiar tasks, such as following a recipe
- Misplacing items in inappropriate places, such as putting a wallet in the refrigerator
- Getting lost while driving on familiar streets
- Undergoing sudden changes in mood or behavior for no apparent reason
- Becoming less able to follow directions
(1 of 2)
- Alzheimer's symptoms. National Institute on Aging. http://www.nia.nih.gov/Alzheimers/AlzheimersInformation/Symptoms. Accessed April 27, 2009.
- Grabowski TJ Jr, et al. Clinical manifestations and diagnosis of Alzheimer disease. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 27, 2009.
- Forgetfulness: It's not always what you think. National Institute on Aging. http://www.niapublications.org/agepages/forgetfulness.asp. Accessed April 27, 2009.
- 10 signs of Alzheimer's. Alzheimer's Association. http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_10_signs_of_alzheimers.asp. Accessed April 27, 2009.
- Brewer JB, et al. Memory. In: Goetz CG. Textbook of Clinical Neurology. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Elsevier Saunders; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/135285741-4/0/1488/42.html?tocnode=53800427&fromURL=42.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-3618-0..10005-0_195. Accessed May, 4 2009.
