It’s not unusual for anyone to experience memory lapses. It is not always a sign of aging or losing our memory. As a matter of fact, the majority of the time it’s nothing to worry about. As we get older, and experience lapses more often, we begin to worry that we may be at the beginning of Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia.

It’s not unusual for anyone to experience memory lapses. It is not always a sign of aging or losing our memory. As a matter of fact, the majority of the time it’s nothing to worry about. As we get older, and experience lapses more often, we begin to worry that we may be at the beginning of Alzheimer’sor other forms of dementia. Memory problems and Shaking hands or tremor. WebMD Symptom Checker helps you find the most common medical conditions indicated by the symptoms memory problems and shaking hands or tremor including Benign essential tremor, Parkinson disease, and Depression (Adult). There are 29 conditions associated with memory problems and shaking hands or tremor.

According to Webster’s Dictionary, memory is “the mental capacity or faculty of retaining or recalling facts, events, impressions or previous experiences.” Scientist look at the definition of memory by these six different areas:

• Short-Term Memory—remembering something for a brief period of time, such as the price of an item until you pay for it
• Recent Memory —information you just learned, or day-to-day activity
• Sensory Memory — Recalling what you see, smell, taste, touch and hear
• Long-Term Memory — distant memories and experiences
• Declarative Memory — basic knowledge skills, like vocabulary words and facts
• Procedural Memory — motor skills, chewing, walking or riding a bicycle.

Disregarding selective hearing (like when your spouse is talking to you) or information overload (when you are juggling too many projects at one time), most people experience the occasional “brain freeze”. You notice that it starts to become more noticeable, and even more frightening, when you get to be around 50. Some people may feel the onslaught begin as early as 30, and doctors report that 80% of the questions they receive from patients over 30 are concerning memory problems.

These kinds of memory slips become more common as you get older. Yet sudden and severe memory loss – such as forgetting your children's names or not knowing where you are - can signal a more. Don't confuse severe memory problems with occasional memory lapses, which can happen to anyone as a normal part of aging and are commonly seen among menopausal women. While severe memory loss is commonly caused by unresolved medical conditions or damage to the brain, memory lapses during menopause can often be attributed to hormonal imbalance. Everyone has occasional memory lapses, but the memory loss associated with Alzheimer's disease persists and worsens, affecting the ability to function at work or at home. People with Alzheimer's may: Repeat statements and questions over and over; Forget conversations, appointments or events, and not remember them later.

Forgetting little things do not always indicate a decline in memory. A doctor once told a friend who was worried about this problem that “your brain is just discarding information that you don’t need to make room for things you learning, kind of like the trash bin in your computer.” In other words, when your memory gets too full you need to dump things that are slowing it down. Now I don’t know if that’s a great analogy, but it worked for my friend. Scientists call this “pruning”, which is much the same as what you do with your bushes to take out the dead or weak branches to strengthen the other parts.

Outside influences have an effect on our memory. Included are hormonal imbalance (like women in menopause), high blood pressure, low thyroid, diabetes, too much alcohol consumption, poor diet, lack of sleep, or medications that you are taking.

From 1% – 26% of Americans aged 65 or older are impacted by serious memory decline, also known as mild cognitive impairment. This is a transitional phase in aging, and although momentary lapses can become more frequent, it does not impair judgment.

Studies have suggested that approximately 10% of those with a specific form of memory-related MCI go on to develop some form of dementia, Alzheimer’s (AD) being the most common. It is believed that less than 10% of people 65 and over will actually develop full-blown AD, and 47% of those over 85 probably can.

The good new is, studies have shown that the use of memory training and memory techniques can help to strengthen the brain cells, and even prolong or reverse the loss of memory, or total incapacitation from dementia.

From the desk of Ron White, memory speaker

Sources:

Occasional Memory Lapses Confusion And Agitation

Memory Lapses, Postit Science: http://www.positscience.com/human-brain/memory/memory-lapses

34 Menopause Symptoms: http://www.34-menopause-symptoms.com/memory-lapses.htm

By Kathy Fratrick, LCSW, Shell Point Retirement Community

Occasional Memory Loss

A key concern of older adults is the experience of memory loss, especially as it is one of the hallmark symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. However, memory loss is qualitatively different in normal aging from the kind of memory loss associated with a dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease.

With age, almost everyone will experience decreased efficiency of memory. It is when memory loss becomes so pervasive and severe that it disrupts your hobbies, social activities, and family relationships, that you may be experiencing the warning signs of a disorder that causes dementia or a condition that mimics dementia.

Occasional Memory Lapses

The key factors to managing memory disorders are early detection and identification of and implementation of memory management strategies. Consider therapeutic services or behavioral health services which could assist with the identification of a memory condition and facilitate the development of an appropriate treatment plan. And as always, talk to your primary care physician if you have concerns about your memory.