Your Life
Changes in memory and thinking abilities are usually signs of mild or age-related forgetfulness and are often a normal part of aging. There are a variety of techniques that may help you stay healthy and deal better with changes in memory and mental abilities, like learning a new skill, following a daily routine, planning tasks or making a to-do list, staying involved in both physical and cognitive activities, keeping important items like wallets, keys, and glasses in the same place, and staying healthy. It is also important to understand the difference in characteristics between normal aging and dementia. Generally, it is occasional forgetfulness versus more regular forgetfulness. Keep in mind, too, that there are other things to consider as the cause of forgetfulness, like head injuries, issues affecting the brain, thyroid, kidneys, or liver, medication side effects, another mental diagnosis, and an unhealthy diet and lifestyle.
More serious memory problems such as mild cognitive impairment, dementia, or other factors are caused beyond normal aging and should be checked out with a doctor.
Memory Problems, Forgetfulness, and Aging
source NIH
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