Senior Care Homer Glen IL: Is It Alzheimers?

Is It Alzheimer's . . . or Just Your Crazy Life?
5 common work-life issues that can cause memory loss
By Paula Spencer Scott, Caring.com senior editor

What busy midlifer hasn't blanked on a name, forgotten why she walked into a room, or totally missed a meeting because he didn't remember it? Memory lapses affect nearly all adults. Wondering if it's Alzheimer's disease is only natural, given that someone develops Alzheimer's every 69 seconds, including a growing number of baby boomers as well as 200,000 people in their 40s and 50s.

But not all memory loss is caused by Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia. In fact, the following five common conditions for overstressed or overworked adults can all create symptoms of memory loss that usually have nothing to do with dementia.

1. Memory loss culprit: Basic chronic stress

Stress of any kind — worry about a deadline, eating poorly, moving too fast, having a bad day — causes the body to secrete "alert" hormones. When the stress passes, the body returns to normal. Unless, that is, the crazy hours or worry or whatever the stressor is persist, as is often true when a major life issue, like caregiving, is layered on top of a busy work schedule.

In that case, hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline don't turn off. They wreak havoc in the hippocampus of the brain, damaging cells needed for memory storage and retrieval. Net result: memory lapses galore.

Keep reading from caring.com

Alzheimer’s home care counselors at Home Helpers are available to talk with you and your family about care needs for your loved one, including, how to reduce caregiver stress while providing better, affordable care. Home Helpers is a home care agency providing Alzheimer’s Home Care in Homer Glen and the surrounding communities.