Why Do We Forget Things As We Mature? Part 1.

We are all faced with the reality of memory loss when a beloved friend, parent or grandparent advances in age. It is not uncommon for older people to forget small, details like where they put their glasses, or their favorite book. They may forget meetings and appointments they had previously arranged.

This forgetfulness can become very traumatic, as one starts to experience feelings of loss, lack of worth and incompetence. One of the main causes for memory loss as we grow older is called Age Associated Memory Impairment. This disorder appears to attack short-term memory more than older, more long-term memories, like the names of family members. These memories seem to remain intact with AAMI sufferers.

One of the primary cause for memory loss as we grow older is dementia. Dementia is actually a symptom and not a disease itself. It is caused by other diseases like Alzheimers, Parkinsons disease, vascular disease, Picks disease, AIDS and other deficiencies and impairments that slow and dull the intellectual functions of the mind.

We will delve deeper into the causes of forgetfulness as we age in our next blog in this series.