What’s the Difference Between Dementia and Normal Aging?

One of the most common and normal signs of aging is forgetting things. Besides forgetfulness, people over the age of 60 find it difficult to learn new skills and sometimes even comprehend simple sentences that another person told. There are different levels of cognitive deterioration of senior citizens.

Serious memory problems make it hard to do everyday things like driving and shopping. Signs may include asking the same questions repeatedly, getting lost in familiar places, being unable to follow instructions, and even becoming confused about time, people, and places that they have already encountered.

Some older adults have a mild cognitive impairment, or MCI, meaning they have more memory or other thinking problems than other people their age. People with MCI can usually take care of themselves and do their normal activities. This may be a sign of Alzheimer’s. However, there are people who may just be showing signs of aging.

When diagnosed with MCI, it is important to visit your doctor every six to 12 months to track memory changes and other thinking skills over time. There may be habits and behaviors you can change and activities you can do to maintain memory and thinking skills. Most people who suffer from mild cognitive impairment usually lose their belongings and forget them.

On the other hand, one of the worst conditions that an elderly can face is Dementia, which unlike MCI, it can have worse effects on your everyday life because a person

may forget memories, lose all sense of reasoning, and even problems with language and visual perception. People who have dementia should have Hourly Caregivers in Avon, CT watching out for them.

A live-in caregiver can assist with the medical and non-medical needs of a person. There are differences between normal aging and dementia, and you can check this infographic from Euro-American Connections and Homecare.

This entry was posted in Health.