With age comes forgetfulness and being spacey from time to time. However, there is a thin line between having normal age-related forgetfulness and troublesome memory problems. For some, finding the difference between one another is not an easy task.

Occasional lapses in memory are perfectly normal as people will often forget where they put their keys, what they did last week, or whether or not they called back their friend.  While there is no reason to be concerned with simple lapses like this, it is vital you understand the warning signs of a serious mental deterioration or signs of dementia should they arise.

As mentioned, there are countless signs of typical forgetfulness that can happen to anyone that raise no red flags. If you forget names of acquaintances, occasionally forget an appointment or walk into a room and completely forget why you entered in the first place, you are not alone. All of this happens to the best of us, and sometimes quite frequently.

When your memory problems becomes a real issue is when you begin to notice it affecting your ability to function. Small lapses from time to time have little to no impact on your daily performance or disable you from doing what you want to do. If it becomes severe enough that id disrupts your work, hobbies, relationships and social activities, the red flag has been raised.

Do you find yourself having difficulty paying your bills, dressing appropriately, or adequately showering and cleaning up?  Do you often forget how to do things you have done a million times before?  What about recalling or describing specific instances where memory loss has caused problems in your daily life?  These are all possible signs of dementia.

Other signs to keep an eye on include getting lost or disoriented in familiar places or being unable to follow directions. And for some people with dementia, repeating phrases and stories in the same conversation can happen. If you frequently forget or misuse words in everyday conversations, you may want to head to the doctor as well.

The important thing is recognizing when there may be a problem and when it is completely normal.  Nothing is to scare you, but identifying when you are having difficulty making choices or showing poor judgment in socially inappropriate ways means there may be a serious problem.

Understanding the difference can help you treat any problems that may have arisen in the onset rather than waiting for the signs to become more extreme. So if you pause to remember directions but can easily find your way around to familiar sightings, chances are there is no reason to worry.  But if you can't find your way to the grocery store or have trouble finding your way home, do the smart thing and get your memory problems checked out by a doctor.