Many older adults worry about their memory and other thinking abilities. For example, they might be concerned about taking longer than before to learn new things, or they may sometimes forget to pay a bill. These changes are usually signs of mild forgetfulness — often a normal part of aging — not serious memory problems.

What’s the difference between normal, age-related forgetfulness and a serious memory problem? It’s normal to forget things occasionally as we age, but serious memory problems make it hard to do everyday things like driving, using the phone, and finding your way home.

Talk with your doctor to determine whether memory and other cognitive problems, such as the ability to clearly think and learn, are normal and what may be causing them.

Signs that it might be time to talk to a doctor include:

Asking the same questions over and over again
Getting lost in places a person knows well
Having trouble following recipes or directions
Becoming more confused about time, people, and places
Not taking care of oneself —eating poorly, not bathing, or behaving unsafely

Tips for dealing with forgetfulness
People with some forgetfulness can use a variety of techniques that may help them stay healthy and deal with changes in their memory and mental skills. Here are some tips:

Learn a new skill.
Follow a daily routine.
Plan tasks, make to-do lists, and use memory tools such as calendars and notes.
Put your wallet or purse, keys, phone, and glasses in the same place each day.
Stay involved in activities that can help both the mind and body.
Volunteer in your community, at a school, or at your place of worship.
Spend time with friends and family.
Get enough sleep, generally seven to eight hours each night.
Exercise and eat well.
Prevent or control high blood pressure.
Don’t drink a lot of alcohol.
Get help if you feel depressed for weeks at a time.

Dementia is not a normal part of aging. It includes the loss of cognitive functioning — thinking, remembering, learning, and reasoning — and behavioral abilities to the extent that it interferes with a person’s quality of life and activities. Memory loss, though common, is not the only sign of dementia. People with dementia may also have problems with language skills, visual perception, or paying attention. Some people have personality changes.

While there are different forms of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form in people over age 65. The chart below explains some differences between normal signs of aging and Alzheimer’s.

If you, a family member, or friend has problems remembering recent events or thinking clearly, talk with a doctor. He or she may suggest a thorough checkup to see what might be causing the symptoms. You may also wish to talk with your doctor about opportunities to participate in research on cognitive health and aging.

At your doctor visit, he or she can perform tests and assessments, which may include a brain scan, to help determine the source of memory problems. Your doctor may also recommend you see a neurologist, a doctor who specializes in treating diseases of the brain and nervous system.

Memory and other thinking problems have many possible causes, including depression, an infection, or medication side effects. Sometimes, the problem can be treated, and cognition improves. Other times, the problem is a brain disorder, such as Alzheimer’s disease, which cannot be reversed.

Finding the cause of the problems is important for determining the best course of action. Once you know the cause, you can make the right treatment plan. People with memory problems should make a follow-up appointment to check their memory every six to 12 months. They can ask a family member, friend, or the doctor’s office to remind them if they’re worried they’ll forget.

by Alzheimer’s Association California Central Coast Chapter

Alzheimer’s disease is the third leading cause of death within Ventura County, behind disease of the heart and all cancers, according to the 2022 Needs Assessment report recently released by Ventura County Community Health Improvement Collaborative.

While disease of the heart and all cancers rank the same when compared to the state and the nation, Alzheimer’s holds a notably higher ranking for leading cause of death in Ventura County compared to that of California and the United States, which ranks fifth and seventh respectively.

It is unclear why this disease is a more common cause of death in this county than other areas.

However, research does show that Alzheimer’s and other dementias are more prevalent amongst Latino populations; Latinos are about one-and-a-half times as likely as older whites to have the disease.

Ventura County has a large Hispanic/Latino population, making up 44.66% of residents.

Maintaining good heart health through diet and exercise can lessen your risk for developing Alzheimer’s or vascular dementia earlier on in life. The risk appears to increase from many conditions that damage the heart and blood vessels, including heart disease, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Primary data shared within the report reflect that Alzheimer’s and other dementia are part of a significant health need; though less than half (41%) of general respondents chose aging complications—including dementia, falls and social isolation—as an important community health problem.

For the many families who have been affected by dementia, they know firsthand the complications and turmoil that can come with navigating this disease.

And according to the Alzheimer’s Association, the numbers of those who are living with Alzheimer’s will only continue to grow, estimated to reach 840,000 in California by 2025. Currently, there are over 1.2 million Californians providing unpaid care for someone living with the disease.

“While it is an exciting time for research and treatment, the reality is that there is no cure for this disease that impacts so many people, so it is extremely important to keep Alzheimer’s at the forefront of our efforts as a community,” said Janelle Boesch, communications manager at the Alzheimer’s Association California Central Coast Chapter.

The Association calls all Ventura County residents to become educated about Alzheimer’s risk reduction and early detection, as well as best methods for providing care for a loved one living with the disease.

Free support services, including care consultations, support groups and education classes, can be accessed through the Alzheimer’s Association. Their Ventura office is located at 2580 E Main Street #201, and their 24/7 Helpline is 800.272.3900 for around-the-clock support and information in English and Spanish. Visit them online at alz.org/cacentral.

A new measurement system based on phenotypic (observable) data can identify individuals at risk for adverse health outcomes based on their computed “aging score.” After collecting these data from nearly 1,000 people aged 24 to 93, NIA-funded researchers found that individuals with higher biological aging scores exhibited faster physical and cognitive decline, developed multiple health conditions, and had shorter lifespans. The approach may be a better predictor of health outcomes over time than the traditional focus on a person’s chronological age, which is based on birthdate. Findings from the study were published in Nature Aging.

NIA’s Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA), the United States’ longest-running scientific study of human aging, has shown that the manifestations of aging are highly variable across individuals. Because people age differently, chronological age alone does not provide a complete picture of the influences on and the effects of aging. Phenotypes, which are observable traits based on genes and the environment’s impact on those genes, may provide insight into biological aging. Phenotypes could reveal biological aging at the cellular and molecular level, and indicate how fast health changes will occur, such as the progression of chronic disease and decline in physical and cognitive function.

For this phenotypic study, researchers from NIA, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Yale School of Medicine, and the University of Maryland School of Medicine used data from 968 BLSA participants. The researchers organized the phenotypic data into four groups: body composition such as waist size, energetics such as oxygen consumption, homeostatic mechanisms such as blood pressure, and neuroplasticity/neurodegeneration such as brain volume and nerve firing.

For each phenotype, the researchers measured the difference between an individual’s changes over time and the sex- and age-specific average changes over time in the study population. Notably, by using these changes over time as a reference, the resulting phenotypic scores accounted for nonlinear rates of change. These nonlinear rates are important because certain measures of aging, such as fitness, do not change in a linear way over time. The study also included changes in mobility and cognitive testing, the number of medical conditions reported by participants, and participants’ lifespan.

The researchers averaged individual phenotypic scores within each phenotype group, then averaged the four group scores to find a participant’s longitudinal (over time) phenotypic-aging score. Those with higher scores, representing a faster rate of phenotypic aging than the general population, had a more rapid decline in functional aging, a speedier increase in their number of medical conditions, and a shorter lifespan. This longitudinal approach showed stronger associations with changes in physical and cognitive functions than aging measurements that use data from a single point in time. Next research steps could include linking the phenotypic-aging score with cellular and molecular measurements to enhance understanding of the biology of aging.