Celesia's patients, as young as in their 40s, increasingly ask whether forgetting people's names or not remembering where they put the car keys is the first sign of dreaded Alzheimer's disease. The answer is, almost always, no. There are people who are totally, hopelessly lost because they can't forget details of their lives. The brain will prioritize what is important. You don't have to feel self-conscious about not knowing every answer or fact.
Research shows most people overestimate their memory loss.
Celesia said he recently screened more than 300 adults between 40 and 60 for an unrelated study. All of them passed the memory segment of a standard mental status test. Celesia said coping with changes is a critical element of brain fitness. It will be hard to remember new procedures or develop new skills if you honestly don't care about the outcome. Of course, there are times when memory loss requires medical attention.