"Doctor, I can't seem to remember names as well as I used to"
"I find myself going to the refrigerator and not knowing what I wanted"
"I misplace my keys all the time."
In many cases----these concerns just require a little gentle reassurance. The fact is that memory varies day by day. Some days our neurons just seem to fire a little faster. As an example, think back to when you were in school. If you were sleep deprived, you didn't function as well the next day. If you imbibed a little too much on alcohol, the next day was a blur.
The fact is that there are many things that interfere with memory including depression, sleep, medications, and other health care issues. Just because you are a little forgetful doesn't necessarily mean you have Alzheimer's---you may just as likely have sleep apnea or depressive symptoms.
So when should you be concerned that you have dementia. An instructor once told me that Dementia is not about misplacing your keys; it is about misplacing your keys and finding them in the refrigerator.
Personally, I am always much more concerned by memory complaints raised by family members or friends. When they are self-initiated, they often are a result of other things going on. Regardless, all memory concerns should be addressed with your doctor. That's it for tonight.
Tomorrow---I'll talk a little about how we diagnose dementia.
