As people get older they become more susceptible to several different memory disorders. The medical language uses the term 'dementia' to describe a group of symptoms related to memory loss and poor cognition that tends to occur. Dementia is a condition that makes it harder for people to think, remember, reason, and plan. Dementia can be caused by several different diseases, the most commonly known one is Alzheimers disease. All of these diseases cause dementia by damaging your brain cells. People may not notice the symptoms at first, but they tend to get worse over time.

Here are some signs and symptoms to look for. People with dementia may have a hard time remembering things. They will not be able to keep new ideas and things in their head. They will not be able to remember a phone number or how to get to a new location. Long term memory stays relatively intact. Many people with dementia will be able to recall events that happened years ago. But they will have amnesia for current events. This causes many patients to look like they are confused, lost, or frightened. This tends to come from the fact that they cannot remember where they are or how they got there. This is very disturbing for people and causes a great amount of anxiety for the person.

It is also common for people with dementia to not be able to understand what they are doing. This is because of the short term memory impairment and the inability to learn new things. This also caused people with dementia to be unable to follow instructions. Another devastating portion of the illness is that it causes people to not eat or take care of themselves. They will lose weight and not perform normal hygiene. This can be very dangerous to the patients health. The overall impairment can also affect the patients emotional capabilities. They may not seem to have feelings or show emotions.

Many patients will seem restless and wander around a lot. This stems from their inability to focus or know what is going on or remember where they are. They therefore will try to find people and things that they recognize, which is difficult. At the same time they might not trust family and friends. They may not recognize them as such and think that they are impostors or otherwise unknown. It is also common for people with severe dementia to lack control of their bladder or bowels. They can also have trouble with waling, chewing or swallowing. The memory loss can cause impairments in talking or thinking of words.

Dementia and memory disorders occurs when brain cells stop working or are damaged. As mentioned, the most common cause of dementia is Alzheimers disease. Stroke is also a common cause of dementia since it can also kill brain cells. Many other diseases can also cause dementia, so it is essential to have a proper diagnosis when amnesia begins to impair a person's thinking. There are some treatments available for memory disorders to help the patient and their family.