Hi! I noticed that my grandma has some memory problems. I know that aging may affect memory and that it’s normal. But I’m wondering how to know what it’s a serious problem. Maybe she needs to see a doctor because of that. So can somebody tell me what's the difference from Dementia and Normal Aging Difficulties?
Memory problems that aren't part of normal aging are: forgetting things much more often than you used to, trouble learning new things, repeating phrases or stories in the same conversation and trouble making choices or handling money. Another difference between normal memory problems and dementia is that normal memory loss doesn't get much worse over time.
Joan has explained the basic difference between dementia and normal aging problems with memory.
The easiest way to recognize that something is wrong is to pay attention to your grandmother behavior. if you notice that she is standing in the middle of the room and that she can’t remember what is she doing or even worse what is her name than this is the symptom which can mean that you should take her to the doctor.
If she get lost because she doesn’t know how to get back home than definitely take her to the doctor.
I hope that something like this is not happening to your grandmother and that she is only having small difficulties with memory loss caused by her aging.