Dementia

Normal memory loss

Forgetting people’s names or where we have put something is not necessarily a sign of dementia. There are many reasons why people become forgetful. For example, some medicines can affect memory. Other causes for becoming forgetful could be depression, anxiety, or vitamin deficiency.

Symptoms of dementia

In dementia, memory loss is more serious than occasionally forgetting things. You should go and see your GP, or contact Buckinghamshire’s Memory Support Service if you, or your family or friends, are worried about changes which affect:

• Memory
• Mental functioning
• Carrying out routine tasks
• Changes to your personality or behaviour

If your GP suspects you might have dementia you will most likely be referred to a memory clinic or, if you haven’t already contacted the Memory Support Service, they might refer you to them in the first instance.

Although many symptoms will overlap in all of the most common forms of dementia, there are variations You can download a booklet about the different types of dementia and the symptoms they most typically display, from the Alzheimer’s Society.