Memory Changes: Is it "Normal" or Something More?
It happens to all of us. You walk into a room and forget what you came in for, or you just can’t seem to remember where you’ve seen a certain person before.
“The question I'm asked a lot by patients and families is, ‘Is this just normal age?’,” says
Kristin Bosc, PhD, a neuropsychologist at
Washington Regional Senior Health Clinic, part of the
Pat Walker Center for Seniors.
Bosc says for most people, forgetting a face or task is not cause for alarm. “One of the hallmarks of disease is that it interferes with your daily functioning, but there are normal changes that happen in the brain, and they happen in every age, but just more often as you get older.”
Bosc says one example of these normal changes is the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon. “You know what you want to say, it's right there, and you just can't quite pull it out. One of the things that has historically been considered normal is slower processing speed, so just taking longer, and that starts at about age 30.”
According to Bosc, contextual memory is another area that tends to change with age. “Knowing that you know something, but not quite where you heard it, or you know that person, but not quite where you know them from, tends to happen more,” she explains.
Bosc says if you experience memory issues that are more severe or impact your daily life, you should talk with your primary care provider. “There may be some tests they can do in the office to determine if there may be a more serious issue.”