Air date: April 12, 2009

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Memory loss in the elderly is often a sign of senility or dementia, but sometimes its a symptom of something less permanent.

Jeremy Shere has more in this week's Sound Medicine Checkup.

At some point many people have to deal with the unpleasant realities of their parents' old age. Like, forgetting. Suddenly, it seems, mom gets lost easily. Or dad has trouble remembering names. And the really scary thing is that once senility or dementia sets in, that’s it. There’s no going back.

Except that sometimes, that’s not what’s really going on.

"Memory loss is not always due to dementia and it’s not always due to aging."

That’s Mara Mather, she’s an aging researcher at USC. She said that just because someone is over the age of 70, acting confused or incoherent doesn’t mean that they’re senile. It could be caused by medication, or by stress.

"Stress has an impact on memory and long-term stress can diminish the size of the hippocampus and diminish memory abilities and it looks like to some extent that’s recoverable."

So if your aging parent seems to be slipping away mentally, don’t automatically assume the worst. First, check out what happening in your parents' lives.

"What sorts of drugs is their mother or father on, what are the possible side effects. Is there any other possible cause?"

You can, and should, also consult with your parents' doctor.

"It's really a balancing act in figuring out with your doctor what are the options. Is this something you can cut back on, can you do a lower dose of it, is it something that might have been a long term pain management solution, can you go on a different drug, is there something else you can do?"

Mather says the answer to these questions may not always be simple, but they’re worth asking.

I’m Jeremy Shere.

Additional Resources:

• Symptoms of senility are not always Alzheimer's disease. Read more.

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