The final article in This Week's three-part series on common fears of aging focuses on memory loss

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by Hanne Armstrong
This Week Staff

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I'm losing my memory. Am I losing my mind?

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Keeping your mind active and healthy by doing puzzles, crosswords and other word and mind games may help keep memory loss at bay.

"People worry about losing their mental capacities when they start forgetting things," says Joanne Sonier, the office manager and programme co-ordinator of the Alzheimers Association of Southeast New Brunswick.

"What we say is that in order for memory loss to be a problem or concern, it needs to exist with other symptoms such as difficulty performing daily tasks, finding words, and especially with abstract things such as taking care of finances."

The short answer, then, is that becoming forgetful isn't necessarily the first slip down the slope towards dementia. It is something that naturally affects many people as they age.

"As we get older, the filing cabinets in our brains are getting fuller and fuller, making it harder sometimes to get to information we want," says Joanne.

Natural or not, it can be annoying and embarrassing to find yourself drawing blanks when trying to retrieve things from your memory banks. Is there anything we can do to avoid or at least postpone the onset of memory loss?

"Lots of things," replies Joanne. "Avoid being stressed or tired, for starters. And keep your brain active - do puzzles, play chess or checkers and other mind games. Keep socially active and physically fit, and make healthy diet choices. Take any prescribed medication according to instructions.

"These things can all improve quality of life and slow down both memory loss and dementia."

Does that mean that there is a connection between the two? No, it just means that a healthy, active mind is likely to stay healthy and active longer than one which is underused and not looked after.

One of the biggest concerns for older adults is not being aware that they are having difficulties in the first place, Do people with dementia know that they have it?

"No two cases are ever alike," says Joanne. "It depends on where in the brain cells are dying. I have seen a patient who is very aware, and is trapped and suffering, while others are completely unaware of their situation."

No one wants to end their days in a state of helpless mental incapacity, but for some, it will happen regardless. Stroke, head trauma and other physiological conditions can also trigger dementia, increasing the importance of caring for our bodies. Should dementia strike us or a loved one, Joanne has some advice.

"It's important for the family to learn about the disease," she says. "As caregivers, we have to realize that we have to adapt to that person's world. They've lost the ability to adapt to ours, to learn, and to communicate and reason normally. And remember, it's not the person who is talking or behaving erratically, it's the disease."

A frightening prospect, whether from the point of view of the sufferer or the family. Figures from the Alzheimer's Society of Canada website indicate that one in 13 Canadians over the age of 65 suffers from Alzheimer's or other dementia, and that 97,000 will develop a form of dementia in 2008. The problem is on the rise world-wide.

The numbers can be disturbing, but it is important not to become over-concerned with what may or may not happen in the future. Staying positive can help avoid the very thing we may be worried about. And remember, becoming forgetful is not a sure sign of dementia.