by Cynthia Wall

Created on: September 17, 2009   Last Updated: September 19, 2009

We joke about the misplaced car keys, the forgotten name, the elusive word, but the fear that's in the back of most our minds is that we may be losing it entirely. Everyone has a relative or friend who has slipped into dementia, a place where frustration is rampant when you can't remember even the simplest things and your loved ones grow impatient. An even darker place is Alzheimer's, a progressive disease that eventually shuts down the body as well as the mind.

There are many clues when a person is tiptoeing toward dementia. It may be physical appearance such as forgetting to bathe or put on clean clothes; it may entire periods of past memories that just disappear; it may be confused behavior, depression, and terrible sadness over what is happening. When any of these symptoms appear, it's time for a thorough evaluation by a physician to determine if the memory loss is due to Alzheimer's, old age dementia, or any number of other physical causes.

There are lots of things that can slow memory or erase it in old age. Reduced blood flow to the brain from coronary artery disease is one. This condition also puts a person at an increased risk for stroke, so it's important to have regular checkups including monitoring of the carotid arteries. Respiratory problems like emphysema or asthma can reduce oxygen flow to the brain.

Some medications like anti-cholinergic drugs used to dilate the bronchial tubes for those with conditions like asthma can interfere with the transmission of messages in the brain. Why? Because they block the neurotransmitter acetylcholine which speeds information retrieval. Lyme disease, lack of vitamins (especially B12), dehydration, thyroid problems, and depression can all contribute to memory loss.

If the diagnosis is Alzheimer's, treatment with medication may improve the patient's condition or at the very least, delay the progression. Providing a safe, nurturing, and loving place for the Alzheimer's patient to live is essential. While the person with the disease may not be fully cognizant of its ramifications, he or she knows that something is wrong and may be very afraid.

Happily, for most people, dimming of memory in old age is nothing serious. When the word that's on the tip of your tongue never comes forward; when the only way you could play on Jeopardy would be if they'd give two days to think of the answer; when your car keys seem to delight in eluding you all of that is normal in the later decades. For most elderly folks

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