Those of us who are a little past the first flush of youth often worry whether we're on the slippery slope to Alzheimers when we
* Walk into the kitchen and forget what we went in for
* Misplace our keys
* Forget the names of people
* Don't remember a specific place or brand name("Tip of the tongue" experience)
Rest assured, these experiences are normal and don't indicate a Alzheimers/dementia problem.
However, there is a cause for concern when memory loss starts to affect the daily life of a person.
Common signs of dementia:
* Recent memory loss that affects job skills
* Difficulty performing familiar tasks
* Problems with language
* Time and place disorientation
* Problems keeping track of things
* Repeatedly misplacing things and putting them in inappropriate places
* Changes in mood
* Personality changes
There's a strong focus these days on brain and physical fitness and social interaction as a way of reducing the likelihood of Alzheimers. Keeping your brain fit can be as simple as doing a crossword each day.
Vibrant and healthy aging: tips for brain health and successful aging is full of interesting stuff on the importance of physical and brain fitness, how to improve your memory, etc.
Alzheimers New Zealand has a wealth of interesting material and resources on Alzheimers and other dementias, assistance available, etc, and is essential reading for anyone caring for a family member diagnosed with Alzheimers.
