As my wife and I approach our upcoming birthdays we find ourselves thinking about forgetfulness. We seem to forget things more easily than we did in years past. Names are harder to recall, and sometimes we wonder why we walked into a room. Is this only normal aging or should we be worried about Alzheimer’s disease?

If you are asking yourself a similar question, here is some helpful information from the National Institute on Aging.

Many people can become more forgetful as they age. How can you tell the difference between mild forgetfulness and serious memory problems like Alzheimer’s disease? See what’s typical and what’s not:

• Normal aging
  • Making a bad decision once in a while
  • Missing a monthly payment
  • Forgetting which day it is and remembering later
  • Sometimes forgetting which word to use
  • Losing things from time to time
• Alzheimer’s disease
  • Making poor judgments and decisions a lot of the time
  • Problems taking care of monthly bills
  • Losing track of the date or time of year
  • Trouble having a conversation
  • Misplacing things often and being unable to find them

Although some forgetfulness comes with age, don’t ignore changes in memory or thinking that concern you. Talk with your doctor if you notice you have more serious memory problems than normal.

Learn more about forgetfulness and memory loss.

National Institute on Aging: Forgetfulness: Normal or Not?

Another helpful resource is the Pennsylvania Department of Health website page on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders. And the Alzheimer’s Association website has information to help you tell the difference between signs of the disease and normal aging.

If you or a loved-one is beginning to suffer from significant memory loss, this is a critical time to update legal planning. While legal planning for the future is important for every adult, early planning when Alzheimer’s is suspected can allow the affected individual to participate much more fully in the creation of a plan that meets their unique circumstances and goals. The required legal plan involves more than just wills and health care directives and powers of attorney. A longer lead time opens up legal/financial planning options that are time sensitive like setting up an Asset Protection Trust or giving a child an interest in a home.

If you live in Northcentral or Northeastern Pennsylvania contact Marshall, Parker, and Weber to meet with one of our Certified Elder Law Attorneys.