What is the Difference Between Dementia and General Forgetfulness? 

We all forget things from time to time as we age, but serious memory problems make it difficult to do everyday things like drive, use the phone, or find your way around. 

Forgetfulness is often part of the ageing process. It’s part of what makes us human, and it’s certainly not a sign of dementia—though this is a condition many older people face. To understand what distinguishes forgetfulness from dementia, let’s start with some definitions: 

A person’s age does not determine whether they develop dementia. Loss of cognitive abilities (thinking, remembering, learning, and reasoning) that interferes with a person’s quality of life is referred to as dementia. Even though memory loss is common, it is not the only sign of dementia. Language and visual perception may also be impaired in people with dementia. A person’s personality may change over time. 

On the other hand, forgetfulness can include things like forgetting names or where you put your key, or what’s the name of the place you visited few years ago! Stress, depression and anxiety can cause forgetfulness because they affect how we focus on tasks at hand—and we all know how easily our minds wander when stressed out! 

Dementia makes it hard for people to remember things. 

Dementia makes it hard for people to remember things. It’s not just that they forget new information or familiar information; it’s also that they can’t remember how to do easy things, like riding a bike or making coffee. In other words, if you go into your kitchen and ask your mother what kind of cup she wants in the morning based on colour—and she tells you “a cup” but can’t tell which one she needs —it might be because her brain has forgotten how to tell two different types of cups apart from one another! 

Dementia onsets with age 

Dementia occurs as we age. It’s most common in people over the age of 80, but it can affect anyone at any stage of life. Women are more likely than men to develop dementia, and people with a family history of the condition are also more likely to get it. 

Dementia has many symptoms and signs. 

Dementia has many symptoms and signs. Many people with dementia experience memory loss, problems with language, and difficulty with problem-solving and reasoning abilities and judgement. They may also have problems with abstract thinking or visual perception (for example they may see things through rose-tinted glasses), spatial recognition (they may not remember where things are located), attention and concentration (being easily distracted), and emotional reactions to situations or people. 

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. 

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. It’s caused by a build up of plaque in the brain and is diagnosed with a mental status exam and neurological exam. Symptoms include memory loss, confusion, mood swings, and language difficulty. 

Getting older means your memory might not work as well as it used to, but this isn’t necessarily a sign of dementia. 

You may think that getting older means your memory isn’t as good as it used to be, but this isn’t necessarily a sign of dementia. It’s true that age-related memory loss is common, and that some people will experience it at some point in their lives. However, there are also many other possible causes for this type of memory loss—including depression and sleep disorders. 

Age-related memory loss may occur when the brain loses cells that help with making new memories (neurons). As you get older, these neurons die off at a faster rate than they were born (called “senescent cell death”). This can cause problems with remembering things over time because there aren’t enough neurons left in your brain to make new ones anymore! If this sounds like something you’re experiencing right now then don’t worry: There are plenty of ways we can improve our quality lives today so we don’t have any issues tomorrow either! 

Being forgetful can be a symptom of dementia, but it can also be a normal part of ageing. 

Elderly people might have experienced forgetfulness as a symptom of dementia. However, it’s also common for older people to forget things. This is part of normal aging—it’s called age-related forgetfulness or “senior moments” (which we’ll explain later). 

Age-related forgetfulness can indicate that you are suffering from depression or another mental health condition, such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease. If your memory problems continue to get worse after you’ve been diagnosed with one type of dementia or another, please contact your doctor immediately so that they can make sure that you’re receiving the right care and treatment for whatever underlying issue may be causing them. 

Conclusion 

If you have concerns about your memory, don’t assume that you have dementia. There are other causes of forgetfulness besides dementia. It can be very helpful for people to know that there are different types of memory loss, so they can get the help they need to manage their symptoms. 

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