How to Tell the Difference Between Forgetfulness and Dementia
As you pause to recall a person’s name or remember the purpose of traveling to the room you just entered, a flash of concern can run through your mind. “Why can’t I remember this? Should I be concerned? Is this a normal part of aging?”
First, let’s review the definition of dementia. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, “Dementia is a general term for loss of memory, language, problem-solving, and other thinking abilities that are severe enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia.” The key concept here is that the forgetfulness interferes and disrupts functioning in daily life much or most of the time. 
On the flip-side, age-related forgetfulness occurs intermittently or occasionally. You may inconvenience yourself by forgetting a name or bill payment from time-to-time, but not consistently.
In addition to forgetfulness, you should observe other cognitive functions to help gather information for your reference and to discuss it with a doctor. These additional cognitive functions include concentrating, communicating and reasoning.
Concentration
The aging brain can intermittently or occasionally make it more challenging to concentrate for the extended periods that we used to be able to do. However, dementia makes it extra challenging, resulting in the inability to focus long enough to absorb and remember new information or complete simple tasks. As we age, we can get more easily distracted when performing tasks. Dementia causes distractibility most or all of the time.
Communication
There are two functions to communication: articulation and language. Articulation is the oral motor ability to enunciate words that people around you can understand. Dementia can cause difficulty with articulation, such as slurring words or mispronouncing words. Language is the cognitive act of formulating your thoughts and comprehending what others have said to you. Dementia causes trouble with organizing ideas before expressing them and with confusion receiving spoken information. A few real-world applications of these concepts are as follows:
-Word finding difficulty, such as: “I need that thing for my hair.” versus “I need the comb for my hair.”
-Mixing up pronouns, such as: “The boy needs her toy.” versus “The boy needs his toy.”
-Long pauses to gather thoughts or loss/diversion of the train of thought: “I wanted you to go to.....can we talk about that thing over there....the one that needs to get fixed. Oh, but the paper didn’t come.” versus “I wanted to go to the store to get a new can opener because mine broke. While we are there, I want to pick up a newspaper because mine was not delivered today.”
-Slurring words, such as: “ba-room” versus bathroom; “jees” versus cheese.
Reasoning
Reasoning skills are also known as thinking skills, including the ability to problem-solve complex tasks and display sound judgment. Some common examples of activities that may require reasoning skills include preventing an overdrawn bank account, paying bills on time, and planning an unfamiliar activity, such as attending a new event in an unusual location or enlisting a repair person’s help. Dementia causes the breakdown of reasoning skills resulting in situations such as overdrawn bank accounts, unpaid bills, and homes falling into disrepair.
In summary, the difference between forgetfulness and dementia is the frequency and severity. Age-related forgetfulness is occasional, intermittent, and typically remedied soon afterward. Dementia-related forgetfulness is frequent, more severe, and regularly disrupts functioning during daily life.
Visiting Angels Atlanta East provides compassionate, skilled, quality care for seniors with dementia. If you or a loved one wants to explore our Dementia Care Program, click here to learn more about what we have to offer, or call us at 404-358-5877 so we can promptly answer your questions. We provide free dementia care consultations so you can be sure our program fits your specific needs.