Try: For most people occasional lapses in memory are a normal part of the aging process not a warning sign of serious mental deterioration or the onset of dementia normal age-related forgetfulness the following types of memory lapses are normal among older adults and generally are not considered warning signs of dementia forgetting where you left things you use regularly like glasses or keys forgetting names of acquaintances or blocking one memory with a similar one such as calling a grandson by your son’s name occasionally forgetting an appointment having trouble remembering what you’ve just read or the details of a conversation walking into a room and forgetting why you entered becoming easily distracted not quite being able to retrieve information you have "on the tip of your tongue " does your memory loss affect your ability to function the main difference between age-related memory loss and dementia is that age-related memory loss isn’t disabling the memory lapses have little impact on your daily performance and ability to do what you want to do when memory loss becomes so frequent and severe that it disrupts your work hobbies social activities and family relationships you may be experiencing the warning signs of alzheimer’s disease or another disorder that causes dementia or a condition that mimics dementia information references "memory loss and aging causes treatment and help for memory problems" by melinda smith lawrence robinson and robert segal 2011 available at
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Categories: Sage, Topic, Cognitive Intellectual, Emotional Psychological, Medical Physical, Long-Term Memory, So-So L T Memory, Poor L T Memory, Short-Term Memory, So-So S T Memory, Poor S T Memory
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Keywords: Memory loss trouble remembering forgets things
*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed