Forgetting names and misplacing items happen to us all, more so as we age.
But when should you be concerned that these small acts of forgetfulness are part of a larger cognitive decline that may indicate dementia?
Scientia Professor Henry Brodaty, co-director of UNSW Sydney’s Center of Healthy Brain Aging, says there’s no single test that can say conclusively whether someone has the beginnings of dementia—but diagnosis begins with a visit to a GP. There the GP might test the patient’s short-term memory with some word, number and drawing exercises, after which they may then refer the patient on to a specialist.
But Prof. Brodaty says sometimes the most reliable indicator is to ask someone who lives with the patient.
“The diagnosis is usually a combination of getting a history from the patient and a history from someone who lives with them,” he says.
“That’s probably the most useful thing—someone who lives with you 24/7 is a much more accurate rapporteur than someone like me doing a one hour assessment in a clinic.”
Major changes in memory
We all have our forgetful moments. But when major memory lapses start becoming consistent and start impacting one’s day-to-day life, it could be an indicator of cognitive decline.
“We have to distinguish between what is cognitive decline and what’s physical decline,” says Associate Professor Simone Reppermund, with the Center for Healthy Brain Aging.
“As we age, we get more frail, and it may be difficult to walk longer distances or to have the range of motion to drive a car.
“But that’s unrelated to cognitive decline, and this is where dementia or cognitive impairment comes in. A person with dementia at some point will not be able to do the things they once could do without thinking, such as drive a car, because they get confused and are no longer able to process the sensory information required to do this.”
Prof. Brodaty says some cognitive decline is part of normal aging.
“As we age, we become slower in our processing speed. We’re not as good at remembering things, particularly when they’re not able to be logically sorted and connected.
“There’s a test called the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning test where you’re given a list of 15 words five times in a different order, and we normally see a learning curve as people remember more and more. A 20-year-old will do better than a 40-year-old, who’ll do better than a 60-year-old, who’ll do better than an 80-year-old.”
But it’s not all bad for older folk; some things improve with age.
“As we age our vocabulary improves, our judgment improves, our ability to organize things improves. In tests where we can sort, say, 10 grocery items into different categories, we do just as well as the younger person because we can use those strategies to compensate. There is also evidence that we become wiser as we get older.”
According to Dementia Australia, it’s when people encounter difficulties with the following on a regular basis that there could be some underlying cognitive cause worth investigating:
Trouble remembering recent events
Trouble finding the right word
Trouble remembering the day and date
Forgetting where things are usually kept
Difficulty adjusting to changes in routine
Trouble understanding written content or a story on television
Difficulty following conversations in groups
Problems handling finances
Difficulty with everyday activities
Losing interest in activities that were previously enjoyable
Written by Lachlan Gilbert.
If you care about dementia, please read studies about low choline intake linked to higher dementia risk, and how eating nuts can affect your cognitive ability.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies that blueberry supplements may prevent cognitive decline, and results showing higher magnesium intake could help benefit brain health.
Source: University of New South Wales
