Professor Bruno Dour, a neurologist at the Memory and Alzheimer’s Disease Institute at Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris, addresses the topic of "temporary forgetfulness" in the elderly. In general, many people over 60 complain of memory loss or temporary forgetfulness, such as forgetting people's names or struggling to remember where they placed things. According to Professor Dour, these cases of forgetfulness are not necessarily signs of Alzheimer’s disease, but rather a natural phenomenon of aging. The information remains in the brain; " processing " is lacking,” as he explains. In other words, memory still works, but it may be harder to access quickly as one ages.

The most common types of forgetfulness include:

• Forgetting a person's name

• Entering a room without remembering why

• Spending a long time searching for objects, such as glasses or keys.

These difficulties are very common, especially among the elderly, with about 50% of people over 60 years old experiencing aging-related symptoms that are not linked to serious conditions like Alzheimer’s disease.

Anosognosia: When a Person is Unaware of Their Memory Problems.

It is important to distinguish between temporary forgetfulness, as explained above, and severe memory disorders such as those associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Professor Dour outlines a simple rule:

"Those who are aware of their forgetfulness do not have severe memory problems."

On the other hand, people who suffer from severe memory disorders, such as those related to Alzheimer’s disease, are often unaware of these deficits. This phenomenon is one of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. People with this condition do not realize they have memory problems.

A Simple Test to Assess Your Memory.

To help people assess their memory, Professor Dour suggests a simple test that can be done without complex equipment. This test consists of looking for letters or numbers in the following tables.

1. Look for the letter C in this table:

OOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOO OOOCOOOO OOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOO

2. Look for number 6 in this table:

9999999 99699999 9999999 9996999 9999999 9999999 9999999

3. Look for the letter N in this table:

MMMMMMMMM MMMMMMMMM MNMMMMMMMMM MMMMMMMMMNM MMMMMMMMM MMMMMMMMM

Interpretation of Results:

If you can find these letters and numbers without difficulty, you can feel reassured about your memory. Professor Dour concludes:

"If you succeed in these three tests, you can delay your annual visit to the specialist for treatment, but you cannot ignore it entirely. Overall, your mind is in good condition, and you are, in principle, far from showing symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease."