Not to be confused with simply getting older, understanding the difference between an aging brain and dementia can be difficult. Most adults will begin to experience some form of mild cognitive changes and memory loss as they grow older. Early warning signs can display differently depending on type of dementia and part of brain impacted.
The table below is a guide to help you distinguish between Old Age and Dementia.
| Likely Old Age | Likely Dementia |
|---|---|
| Becoming less patient and less tolerant. | Significant change in personality and behaviour or inability to rationalise and reason. |
| Forgetting names of people or items they haven’t seen or spoken about in years. | Forgetting names of people or items they see and interact with on a regular basis. |
| Forgetting someone’s birthday or the reason you entered a particular the room. | Forgetting the occasion or event despite continual prompting leading up to it. |
| Forgetting to leave the bins out for collection. | Forgetting the process of completing regular daily tasks. |
| Forgetting where you parked the car at the shopping centre. | Getting lost in familiar locations. |
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