When is Forgetfulness Cause for Concern?
Posted on February 15, 2008 - Filed Under Health |
As your parents or other loved ones enter their senior years, you might notice they become uncharacteristically forgetful. They might forget where they placed the car keys, or overlook an appointment they did not write down. At the same time, they might also begin to find certain tasks requiring mental concentration more challenging. Balancing the checkbook might become quite a chore, and they may not be as good at crosswords as they once were.
People usually recognize this type of memory loss when it starts to occur. They realize it is happening, and some people become needlessly alarmed about being slightly more forgetful. A slow down in memory or mental functioning doesn’t signal the onset of Alzheimer’s and it’s not necessarily a cause for alarm. Just because it takes you slightly longer to remember things doesn’t mean you’re experiencing Dementia.
If memory lapses seem to grow consistently more common or intense, or if they are accompanied by mental confusion, medical attention is necessary. There is a variety of medical conditions that can cause dementia, so it is important that a correct diagnosis is made. Some forms of dementia such as Alzheimer’s are not treatable, while in other cases dementia is reversible.
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