Dementia or Normal Aging? A Guide to Recognizing the Signs

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Aging is a natural part of life, and it comes with changes to our bodies and minds. These changes can affect things like memory and physical strength, and may make us more susceptible to certain health conditions. Memory challenges can often be a normal part of aging. But how can you tell if these changes are simply a normal part of getting older or if they might be early signs of dementia?

Generally, if memory lapses don’t disrupt daily life, don’t impact an individual’s ability to handle tasks, don’t interfere with learning new information and aren’t linked to any medical condition, they’re considered a natural part of getting older — not dementia. This is commonly known as age-related memory loss.

When memory loss starts to become severe enough to impact daily life, it may align with early signs of dementia. If an individual is having trouble sticking to a standard routine, struggling to learn new things, and/or finding it harder to complete routine tasks, these could be indications that memory difficulties go beyond normal aging.

The chart below highlights key differences between typical age-related changes and early signs of dementia, to help better distinguish between the two.

Typical Age-Related Changes	Signs of Dementia
Sometimes forgetting names or appointments, but remembering them later	Memory loss that disrupts daily life: A common early sign of Alzheimer’s dementia is forgetting recently learned information, repeatedly asking the same questions and relying more on memory aids or family members for tasks once handled independently.
Making occasional errors when managing finances or household bills	Challenges in planning or solving problems: Some people struggle with planning, working with numbers or concentrating. They may have trouble following a recipe or managing bills, or they may find themselves completing tasks more slowly than they did before.
Occasionally needing help to use microwave settings or record a television show	Difficulty completing familiar tasks: People with dementia may struggle with daily tasks such as driving to familiar places, organizing a grocery list or remembering the rules of a favorite game.
Getting confused about the day of the week but figuring it out later	Confusion with time or place: People with dementia may lose track of dates, seasons and time; struggle to understand things not happening immediately; and forget where they are or how they got there.
Vision changes related to cataracts	Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships: Vision disturbances, including difficulty judging distance, peripheral field loss and coping with low or bright light can be a sign of dementia.
Sometimes having trouble finding the right word	New problems with words in speaking or writing: People with dementia may struggle to follow or join conversations, lose track mid-sentence, repeat themselves, have difficulty with vocabulary or use incorrect names for familiar objects.
Misplacing things from time to time and retracing steps to find them	Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps: People with dementia may put things in unusual places, lose items without retracing their steps, and sometimes accuse others of stealing as the disease progresses.
Making a bad decision or mistake once in a while, such as neglecting to schedule an oil change for a car	Decreased or poor judgment: Individuals with dementia may show poor judgment, such as mismanaging money or neglecting personal grooming and hygiene.
Sometimes feeling uninterested in family and social obligations	Withdrawal from work or social activities: People with dementia may struggle to follow conversations, leading them to withdraw from hobbies, social activities or interests such as following a sports team.
Developing very specific ways of doing things and becoming irritable when a routine is disrupted	Changes in mood, personality and behavior: People with dementia may experience mood swings, becoming confused, suspicious, anxious or easily upset, especially outside their comfort zones.

_{Source: Alzheimer’s Association®, “2024 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures” (page 9)}

Sometimes, memory or cognitive challenges go beyond normal age-related changes but aren’t as severe as dementia. This is known as mild cognitive impairment (MCI). While MCI may cause noticeable difficulties, it generally doesn’t disrupt most daily activities. While having MCI puts you at a greater risk for developing dementia, only 10% to 20% of people diagnosed with MCI, go on to develop dementia later on. Some people with MCI never get worse and some even improve. In summary, it is important to remember that dementia is not a normal part of aging. Although we cannot determine who will or won’t develop dementia, there are many things we can do to keep our brains healthy such as: eating a balanced diet, getting regular exercise, managing stress, staying social and prioritizing sleep.

If you believe that you or a loved one may be showing early signs of dementia, or if you want to learn more about the types, causes and symptoms of dementia, explore our other Alzheimer's and Dementia blogs like, What Is Early-Onset Demenita.