Everyone forgets things at times. “When did you tell me that?” “What time do we have to be there?” “Where are my glasses?” Or when your vocabulary seems to be blank as you search for the word.  Most of the time this is just a normal part of aging. 

But when memory loss starts to disrupt your life, this can be one of the first or more recognizable symptoms of a brain related disorder. If your children, spouse or loved ones begin to notice a mental decline, it may be time to seek some help and assess what is going on.  Doing this will probably require professional help to determine if it is normal changes in memory or the memory loss associated with Dementia or Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders. 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.

In the past couple of years my elderly mother started showing signs of short term memory loss on a daily basis.  I encouraged her to make lists.  Write down anything she needs and any questions she has that pops into her head otherwise she gets frustrated the next day when she sees me and knows she wants to ask me something.  I in turn, write things out for her like how to get her TV on Netflix.  At her yearly exam with her doctor we mentioned the memory problems and he prescribed donepezil, which promises to improve mental function by slowing the decline.

I realized that we probably should have had her evaluated earlier and I know for myself I will discuss my brain function with my doctor at my next visit.  It stands to reason that the earlier you start the less decline you hopefully will see in your life. The earlier you intervene these changes will be generally manageable and won’t disrupt your ability to work, live independently or maintain a full social life.