Do I have dementia?
It is common for people of all ages to experience forgetfulness. Forgetfulness is not being able to remember something at a specific time but the memory returns at some later time in most cases. This kind of forgetfulness is not cause for alarm.
Examples for normal forgetfulness:
- Walking into the kitchen and forgetting what you went in for
- Misplacing your keys
- Forgetting the names of people
- Not remembering a specific place or brand name("Tip of the tongue" experience)
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
- Loss of initiative
If you are worried about your memory you should see your GP. There are many treatable causes of memory loss. If the memory loss is caused by dementia an early diagnosis is critical for planning and treatment. See the section How do I go about getting a diagnosis? for more information.
