Forgetfulness: Knowing when to Ask for Help Maria has been a
teacher for 35 years. Teaching fills her life and gives her a
sense of accomplishment, but recently she has begun to forget
details and has become more and more disorganized. At first, she
laughed it off, but her memory problems have worsened. Her
family and friends have been sympathetic but are not sure what
to do. Parents and school administrators are worried about
Maria's performance in the classroom. The principal has
suggested she see a doctor. Maria is angry with herself and
frustrated, and she wonders whether these problems are signs of
Alzheimer's disease or just forgetfulness that comes with
getting older. Many people worry about becoming forgetful. They
think forgetfulness is the first sign of Alzheimer's disease.
Over the past few years, scientists have learned a lot about
memory and why some kinds of memory problems are serious but
others are not. Age-related changes in memory Forgetfulness can
be a normal part of aging. As people get ol