As individuals age, cognitive changes can become apparent, leading to questions about what constitutes normal forgetfulness versus early signs of dementia. Professionals stress that knowing what to look for, including particular patterns and behaviors, can help diagnose cognitive decline. Michael Woodward, a top expert in the field, highlights some important red flags to watch for. People and their caregivers at home need to be on the lookout for these indicators.
Speaking on a recent podcast, Woodward pointed to another deeply concerning problem. He made the case that telling the same tale multiple times in one dialogue is an alarming sign. He warned that repetitions can occur even in brief encounters. API abuse, for instance, is something we’ve all experienced lately on phone calls. He added that forgetting a name immediately after encountering a person is relatively normal. It can be alarming if this pattern begins to worsen. These observations highlight the importance of being alert to shifts in cognition.
Furthermore, Woodward noted that frequent or severe memory lapses, such as leaving the stove on overnight, are more significant red flags. He stresses that although some forgetfulness is normal with age, significant lapses should be diagnosed and ruled out.
Identifying Concerning Signs
It is so challenging to diagnose these high functioning people in the predementia state,” says Kaarin Anstey, a preeminent researcher in cognitive aging. She repeats often that early detection is incredibly difficult. Additionally, most people will erroneously attribute their symptoms to normal aging, making diagnosis and intervention all the more challenging.
Woodward echoes this sentiment, pointing out that mixing up the names of children and grandchildren is common as people age. He warns that if someone is now starting to forget their grandchildren’s names, that’s more worrisome. “But if you’re constantly forgetting the names of three of your four grandchildren, that’s a worry,” he stated.
This, Anstey notes, is what happens to all of us at times—a classic everyday memory failure, like losing your keys or forgetting where you parked your car. These situations often stem from temporary distractibility, rather than advancing dementia. “That’s what we call normal experience in ageing. Having the occasional experience of misplacing something,” she explained.
The Importance of Context
In more serious cases, Amy Brodtmann highlights that forgetting significant recent events can be particularly alarming. “If someone’s best friend died two days ago and they knew about that… and they have no recollection of that actually occurring, that’s really concerning,” she emphasized. This indicates that cognitive health evaluation is fundamentally dependent upon context.
As Brodtmann notes, people find it hard to deal with jargon. This challenge, sometimes referred to as “word salad,” can be an early warning sign of dementia. “If you’re stumbling over your words or you get word-block or word-finding difficulties, that’s what makes me concerned,” said Desmond Graham, another expert in the field.
As people navigate these changes, they may notice a decline in their ability to multitask or complete tasks efficiently. Brodtmann, who says she’s always meeting high-potential, high-performing people who find themselves in this boat, “I do see a lot of quite high-performing people in clinic who come in and say, ‘I can’t do what I used to do,’” she shared.
Navigating the Path Forward
Most experts will tell you that awareness and proactive measures are key when it comes to mild cognitive impairment. As Graham tells CNN, currently, fewer than one in ten of those who have early warning signs will go on to develop dementia. More than anything, he wants to emphasize the risk of ignoring symptoms. “Even if people don’t think it’s anything… I strongly encourage them to go see a GP,” he advised.
Graham further emphasizes the role of lifestyle changes, including increasing physical activity, as preventive measures against cognitive decline. Further, he warns people from filing away mild cognitive impairment under the rubric of normal aging.
