You want to do some shopping – but you can’t seem to find your keys. After a few minutes of frantic searching, you spot them on the kitchen counter, next to a pile of junk mail. “Now I remember,” you say, “That’s right where I put them yesterday when I brought in the mail.”

 

With keys happily in hand, you set out for the grocery store. Pleased with how much you saved with coupons and sales, but hungry for lunch, you wheel the nearly full cart out the store. You’ve got an appointment in another hour, so you want to get home quickly. As you look around the crowded parking lot, you think, “Where did I park the car?” When you don’t see it right away, your heart begins to race. You feel foolish and scared. You may begin to wonder, “Is it normal for me to be so forgetful or could this be dementia?”

 

Young adults may attribute that type of forgetfulness to distraction, stress, hunger or fatigue. However, older adults might worry their forgetfulness is a first sign of dementia. While the risk of dementia does increase with age, occasional forgetting happens to everyone.

 

Forgetfulness can be a normal reaction to stressful life circumstances. So, take a deep breath. Slow down. Give yourself a moment to remember.

If you have concerns about whether you or a loved one might have dementia, download our guide, Does My Loved One Have Dementia or Is It Just Age-Related Forgetfulness.

 

To learn more about this topic, watch our video: Is It Normal Age-Related Forgetfulness? Or Is It Dementia?