There's a big difference between common forgetfulness – misplacing your car keys, or missing a deadline or a loved one's birthday, we've all been there! - and the type of memory loss experienced with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or Alzheimer's disease.

Forgetfulness isn’t always a warning sign linked to MCI or Alzheimer’s disease, but understanding when it could be a cause for concern is important. If you're informed and clearly understand  normal forgetfulness, MCI and Alzheimer's disease, you'll be able to identify if or  when to speak to a health professional about any memory problems.

Many people experience normal brain and memory decline as they age. This mostly affects their ability to remember specific details of experiences and events or the quality of their memories but doesn’t significantly impair other aspects of memory or brain function.

• Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is not a normal part of ageing. It causes a more noticeable decline in memory function, and affects other thinking skills too including language, attention and decision-making.^6,7

• In some cases, MCI is caused by underlying Alzheimer’s disease, however this is not always the case. For some people with MCI, their brain and memory decline stabilises over time, instead of continuing to decline as it does in Alzheimer’s disease.

• As Alzheimer’s disease progresses it has a much greater impact on memory, brain function and quality of life than both early Alzheimer’s disease (including MCI) and normal ageing. It progressively affects memory, thinking and behaviour, and results in more severe memory loss – preventing patients from remembering past events or information, or forming new memories.^4,5

Your body and brain change as you age, making it more difficult to learn new things and retain information as you get older.¹ Most people forget minor things from time to time -  the key is understanding the difference between the odd memory lapse, and something more serious. 

For example, things like occasionally forgetting to pay a bill,  or temporarily forgetting a new friend's name are to be expected as you age.  These small lapses in memory, experienced by most of us, don't typically indicate a serious memory problem.

Normal ageing affects a certain type of memory, known as episodic memory, more quickly and severely than other types of memory.² Episodic memory is the ability to remember the specific details of personal experiences and past events,² which gradually becomes more difficult as you get older. You might also notice a change in the quality of your memories,³ but otherwise memory isn't normally significantly affected by ageing.

MCI is a brain condition that causes  changes to your memory and thinking. Symptoms of MCI are more noticeable than those associated with "normal” ageing, but not as severe as symptoms of dementia. You can usually stay independent and continue doing everyday tasks normally with MCI. MCI is not a normal part of ageing.¹⁴

MCI can be caused by many different factors, including Alzheimer's disease, other contributors can include sleep disorders, medication side effects, low blood pressure, mental health conditions, infections, and regular and excessive alcohol consumption.⁶

There are two types of MCI:

• Amnestic MCI: The most common type of MCI. It typically causes memory loss with few additional symptoms.⁶ This form of MCI is the most likely to progress into dementia over time.⁷

• Non-amnestic MCI: This form of MCI doesn't affect memory as significantly, but instead affects thinking skills such as language, attention, decision-making and changes in visual perception^.6

On the other hand, when Alzheimer’s disease progresses past MCI, it canaffect memory, alongside a variety of other functions and daily activities.   While MCI can be caused by underlying Alzheimer's disease, not everyone who experiences MCI will go on to develop the disease.⁶

Alzheimer's disease is a physical brain condition which progressively affects brain function and interferes with daily activities and cognitive processes. It’s the most common form of dementia,⁵ resulting in problems with memory, thinking and behaviour.¹

Alzheimer's disease is not a normal part of ageing.^5,15

Unfortunately, unlike ‘normal’ memory lapses which are temporary, memory loss associated with Alzheimer’s disease is more severe. The brain degeneration that occurs with Alzheimer's disease eventually prevents you from retaining or making new memories and accessing information – even when prompted.⁴ As your memory worsens, you may also notice a decline in other types of thinking, including language skills and your ability to find the "right word”, vision or spatial awareness, as well as problem solving, reasoning and decision-making skills.⁵

Common symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease include making poor decisions, consistently missing  payments or bills, regularly forgetting the date or time, struggling to maintain conversations, confusion, vagueness and behavioural changes.

These signs aren't always the result of MCI or Alzheimer’s, but it’s best to speak to your doctor so they can further investigate the cause of your memory loss. 

If you're concerned about your memory, speak to your healthcare professional. They'll assess whether your symptoms are something to investigate further. The simplest way to differentiate between ageing-related memory decline, and that caused by Alzheimer's disease or MCI is to assess whether your symptoms are interfering with your daily life.

Even simple things, like deciding which clothing to wear to suit the weather conditions, or forgetting which button to press on your microwave, can be impacted by Alzheimer's disease. It can also cause changes to mood and personality, and issues with speech, language and writing.

Health professionals can test memory using a variety of assessments, to evaluate the degree of memory loss you're experiencing, and to monitor how it’s progressing. These tests, alongside other diagnostic assessment such as scans, blood tests and medical history can help determine whether a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s is applicable. While there's no cure for the condition, having a diagnosis allows you and your family to better prepare for the future, and put measures in place to support the management of your condition.

Some strategies used by patients with early Alzheimer's including MCI to help manage their symptoms include:

• Using Souvenaid®. Souvenaid®Souvenaid® is a medical nutrition drink that nutritionally supports memory function in early Alzheimer’s disease when taken daily for at least 6 months.^8-10 Souvenaid® is powered by Fortasyn® Connect, a unique combination of nutrients formulated to support the growth of brain connections.¹¹
• Physical exercise and brain training may help to manage symptoms associated with early Alzheimer's disease including MCI.¹³
• Medications may also be prescribed under the guidance of your doctor.

Souvenaid is a Food for Special Medical Purposes for the dietary management of early Alzheimer’s disease. Must be used under medical supervision. Souvenaid does not cure or alleviate Alzheimer’s disease.