What is the difference between Alzheimer’s Disease and forgetfulness?
A simple test developed by Lisa P. Gwyther, author of “Care of Alzheimer’s Patients: A Manual for Nursing Home Staff,” helps distinguish people with normal forgetfulness from people with Alzheimer’s Disease. • When a person with normal forgetfulness forgets the name of someone or something, it is usually remembered later. Alzheimer’s patients forget the person whose name they were trying to remember. • If an item like a house key is lost, the normal brain knows how to find it by retracing steps. Alzheimer patients may not recall the last time they had their keys or they may fabricate a story to explain how the keys were lost. • While many people forget parts of stories, or unimportant facts of an experience Alzheimer’s patients forget entire recent experiences. • Healthy brains forget events that occurred long ago more often than recent events, while Alzheimer’s patients most often forget what happened just minutes before. • Normally forgetful persons can use reminders and notes better
