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Normal Ageing Versus Dementia
As we grow older, there are age-related changes that occur in our memory and thinking. . Normal age-related declines are subtle and mostly affect the speed of thinking as well as the ability to multitask. It might also take us longer to learn new task. In dementia, declines in cognitive function are more severe and may include other thinking abilities, such as rapidly forgetting recent information, difficulties navigating familiar surroundings, inability to solve common problems, difficulties in expressing oneself in conversation or changes in behaviour outside of social norms.
It is common in normal ageing for us to forget people’s names or appointments sometimes but able to recall them later.. Persons with dementia will have difficulties remembering the names of close family members or mixes up names frequently. They may forget recent conversations and have them repeated frequently as though it was the first time. A person with dementia may get confused when planning or trying to solve a problem. They may not have the ability to weigh the risk of benefit of certain decisions made and have inappropriate judgement.
If you are worried that yourself or someone close to you may have the above symptoms, do visit your doctor to discuss about your concerns. Dementia can only be diagnosed by a qualified and experienced healthcare professional. It is important to understand that some conditions may mimic the symptoms of dementia such as depression or delirium (acute confusional state due to medical illness). In addition, nutritional deficiencies & side effects from certain medications may manifest symptoms that can be mistaken as early signs of dementia, such as communication and memory difficulties and behavioural changes.
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