Dementia Support Line
There is a difference between memory loss as a part of normal ageing and as a symptom of dementia.
Memory loss
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 very different. It is persistent and progressive, not just occasional. It may affect the ability to continue to work or carry out familiar tasks. It may mean having difficulty finding 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. A person with dementia however, may lose the car keys and then forget what they are used for.
Key points about normal forgetfulness:
- As we get older, the most common change that we complain about is memory change. Knowledge of 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 of getting older on memory 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 the tip of the tongue” experiences.
- Research also suggests that immediate memory and lifetime memory do not change as we get older.
Based on Remembering Well, by Delys Sergeant and Anne Unkenstein.
Distinguishing points between normal memory loss and that of a person with dementia:
| Description | Older Person | Person with Dementia |
|---|---|---|
| Events | Memory may sometimes be vague | May forget part or all of an event |
| Words or names for things or objects | Sometimes may forget. Words or names are on the ‘tip of the tongue’ | Progressively forgets |
| Written and verbal directions | Able to follow | Increasingly unable to follow |
| Stories on TV, in movies or books | Able to follow | Progressively loses ability to follow |
| Stored knowledge | Although recall may be slower, information is essentially retained | Over time loses known information such as historical or political information |
| Everyday skills such as dressing and cooking | Retains ability, unless physically impaired | Progressively loses capacity to perform tasks |