What Is Memory Loss?
Strictly speaking, memory loss means forgetting things. These “things” could be facts, names or where you left something. If you define memory loss in this broad way, all of us have some memory loss.
But the phrase “memory loss” is typically used to mean forgetting things to the point where it interferes with daily life. In this use of the phrase, the “things” forgotten could be words, how to get home or how to balance your checkbook. In this context, memory loss may also mean a worsening in mental functions other than memory, such as judgment and reasoning.
Any discussion of memory loss is complex, for several reasons:
*Everyone has some memory loss
*Memory loss can range from mild to severe
*Experts don’t agree on how to categorize memory loss
*Different types of memory can be affected
*Memory loss can be caused by different diseases and conditions.
Here are some of the ways doctors and scientists categorize the severity of memory loss [click on each category for more information]:
*Age-Related Memory Loss
*Mild Cognitive Impairment
*Early-stage Alzheimer’s and other dementias
*Later stages of Alzheimer’s and other dementias
Learn More:
Read about different types of memory on the U.S. National Institute of Aging’s site [scroll down]
See the Alzheimer’s Association’s discussion of what’s normal, what’s not
