Normal Aging or Early Dementia? Knowing the Difference

Mom forgot your name for a second. Should you worry — or is that just being seventy-eight?

Normal aging looks like this: forgetting a name but recalling it later, misplacing the glasses, needing extra time to learn new technology, occasionally hunting for a word. Possible warning signs look different: forgetting recently learned information and asking the same question repeatedly, losing track of dates and seasons, putting things in strange places — keys in the freezer — struggling to follow a familiar recipe or manage the bills, getting lost on a familiar route, withdrawing socially, or showing poor judgment with money and strangers. Here’s the rule of thumb clinicians use: aging forgets the details — dementia forgets the experience. Forgetting where you parked is normal. Forgetting that you drove is not.

If the warning column sounds familiar, book a medical evaluation — not to label your parent, but because treatable causes get treated, and families get precious time to plan.

This has been Care Without Crisis Explains, presented by Vanguard Care Solutions.

For more free videos and family resources — or when you’re ready to talk about care at home — visit vanguardcaresolutions.com or call 301-327-1444.