One of the main symptoms of dementia is memory loss.
We all forget things from time to time, but the loss of memory with dementia is different. It is persistent and progressive, not just occasional.
We all forget things from time to time, but the loss of memory with dementia is different. It is persistent and progressive, not just occasional.
- It may result in the person losing a job
- It may mean forgetting to light the gas
- It may mean not being able to find the way home
- Eventually, it may mean forgetting how to dress or how to bathe
An example of normal forgetfulness is walking into the kitchen and forgetting what you went in there for, or misplacing the car keys. The person with dementia, however, may lose the car keys and then forget what they are used for.
- As we get older, the most common change that we complain about is memory change.
- Knowledge about how memory changes as we get older is a lot more positive than in the past. Memory change with healthy ageing certainly doesn’t interfere with everyday life in a dramatic way.
- Everyone is different, and the effect on memory of getting older is different for each person.
- Recent research describes the effect of getting older on attention processes, on the ability to get new information into storage, on the time it takes to recall things and on “tip of the tongue” experience.
- Recent research suggests that immediate memory and lifetime memory do not change as we get older.
Based on Remembering Well, by Delys Sergeant and Anne Unkenstein
Tips for keeping your brain fit and memory sharp
As yet, there is no prevention or cure for dementia.
However, here are a few tips for keeping your brain fit and memory sharp:
Tips for keeping your brain fit and memory sharp
As yet, there is no prevention or cure for dementia.
However, here are a few tips for keeping your brain fit and memory sharp:
- Avoid harmful substances: excessive drinking and drug abuse damages brain cells
- Challenge yourself: reading widely, keeping mentally active and learning new skills strengthens brain connections and promotes new ones
- Trust yourself more: if people feel they have control over their lives, their brain chemistry actually improves
- Relax: tension may prolong a memory lapse
- Pay attention: concentrate on what you want to remember
- Minimise and resist distractions
- Use a notepad and carry a calendar: this may not keep the memory sharp, but does compensate for memory problems
- Take your time
- Organise belongings: use a special place for unforgettables such as car keys
- Repeat names of new acquaintances in conversation
Debunking memory myths
Dr Barry Gordon, US author of Memory: Remembering and forgetting in everyday life, debunks some popular myths about ageing and memory.
MYTH ONE:
Forgetfulness is a sign that something is wrong with your brain.
FACT:
If we didn’t possess the capacity to forget, we’d all go crazy. The ability to remember what is important and discard the rest is a skill to be treasured.
MYTH TWO:
You lose 10 000 brain cells a day, and one day you just run out.
FACT:
An exaggerated fear. Some parts of the brain do lose nerve cells, but not where the process of thinking takes place. You lose some nerve connections, but it’s possible to grow new ones, or maintain the connections you have, by exercising your mind.
MYTH THREE:
To tell if your memory is normal, compare yourself to others.
FACT:
A huge range of ability exists across the general population. Even a single individual experiences variations in memory over the course of a lifetime. Just as certain people have a talent for music and others do not, some of us are naturally gifted at various types of remembering.
Normal memory loss & that of a person with dementia
To tell if your memory is normal, compare yourself to others.
FACT:
A huge range of ability exists across the general population. Even a single individual experiences variations in memory over the course of a lifetime. Just as certain people have a talent for music and others do not, some of us are naturally gifted at various types of remembering.
Normal memory loss & that of a person with dementia
|
Description
|
Person with dementia
|
Older person
|
|
Events
|
May forget part or all of an
event |
Memory may
sometimes be vague |
|
Words or names
for things or objects |
Progressively forgets
|
Sometimes may forget.
Words or names are on the 'tip of the tongue' |
|
Written and verbal
directions |
Increasingly unable to
follow |
Able to follow
|
|
Stories on TV, in
movies or books |
Progressively loses
ability to follow |
Able to follow
|
|
Stored knowledge
|
Over time loses
known information such as historical or political information |
Although recall may
be slower, information is essentially retained |
|
Everyday skills such
as dressing and cooking |
Progressively loses
capacity to perform tasks |
Retains ability, unless
physically impaired |