Does being more forgetful mean I have dementia?

Not necessarily. Forgetfulness increases naturally with age. Seek advice if you forget whole experiences or daily life is affected.

Usually your family doctor first, who can refer you to a memory clinic, neurologist or psychiatrist.

My parent refuses to see a doctor. What can I do?

Suggest going together as part of a routine check-up, and ask a dementia helpline for advice on how to approach it.

Forgetfulness vs dementia — the difference, and when to seek help

This article is general information, not medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you are worried about symptoms, please talk to a doctor or a local support service.

Short answer: Becoming more forgetful with age is normal. Age-related forgetfulness usually means losing part of an experience; in dementia, people tend to forget the experience itself, and daily life starts to be affected. If changes persist, talk to a doctor early — some causes are treatable.

Normal age-related forgetfulness

With age, names take longer to come back and it is easier to misplace things. Memory changes gradually, and this alone is not a disease. Usually the memory returns later or with a hint, and you are aware that you forgot.

How dementia-related forgetting differs

Dementia is a lasting decline in brain function that interferes with everyday and social life. Typical differences:

Age-related forgetfulness vs dementia (general tendencies)
	Age-related forgetfulness	Dementia
What is forgotten	Part of an experience (what you ate)	The experience itself (that you ate at all)
Hints	Often help you remember	Often do not help
Awareness	You notice and worry about forgetting	It becomes harder to notice the forgetting
Daily life	Not much affected	Appointments, chores, paying bills, familiar routes become difficult
Course	Rarely worsens suddenly	Often progresses gradually

These are typical tendencies, not a diagnostic test. Diagnosis requires a doctor's assessment.

What is mild cognitive impairment (MCI)?

MCI lies between normal ageing and dementia: a decline in memory or other thinking skills noticeable to the person or family, while daily life remains largely independent. In Japan, about 5.59 million people aged 65+ (15.5%) were estimated to have MCI in 2022. According to the Japanese Society of Neurology's 2017 guideline, about 5–15% of people with MCI progress to dementia each year, while about 16–41% return to normal — one reason early attention to health and lifestyle matters.

Treatable causes of dementia-like symptoms

Normal pressure hydrocephalus — fluid build-up in the brain; typical signs are a shuffling gait, forgetfulness and urinary incontinence. Surgery can help.
Chronic subdural haematoma — blood collecting on the brain's surface weeks or months after a head injury; often treatable surgically.
Hypothyroidism — low thyroid hormone can slow thinking; usually improves with treatment.
Vitamin deficiencies such as vitamin B12.

Depression, delirium (sudden confusion) and medication side effects can also look like dementia. Not missing these causes is the main reason to see a doctor early.

Changes worth discussing with a doctor

If changes like these are new compared with before and persist, consider seeking advice:

Asking or saying the same thing repeatedly
Missing important appointments without realising
Difficulty with multi-step tasks such as cooking, paying bills or managing medication
Getting lost on familiar routes
Often losing track of the date or day
Losing interest in hobbies, or becoming unusually irritable

This list is a prompt for seeking advice, not a way to decide whether someone has dementia.

Where to get help

Start with your family doctor or primary care provider, who can refer you to a memory clinic or specialist if needed. National Alzheimer's and dementia associations in many countries run helplines for people with memory concerns and their families.

If you are a family member

Being told you are forgetful can hurt. Rather than testing or correcting the person, suggest a check-up in a way that respects their feelings — for example, going together as part of a routine health check.

Game scores and memory

Scores in games such as MIKIRI cannot be used to diagnose dementia or MCI. They change with sleep, health, device and practice. A drop in score is no reason to panic, and a good score is no proof that all is well. If something worries you, turn to a doctor, not a game.

FAQ

Does being more forgetful mean I have dementia?: Not necessarily. Forgetfulness increases naturally with age. Seek advice if you forget whole experiences or daily life is affected.
Who should I see?: Usually your family doctor first, who can refer you to a memory clinic, neurologist or psychiatrist.
My parent refuses to see a doctor. What can I do?: Suggest going together as part of a routine check-up, and ask a dementia helpline for advice on how to approach it.

Sources

World Health Organization. Dementia — fact sheet (2026). https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dementia
Japan Health Promotion & Fitness Foundation (Long-life Science). What is dementia? (in Japanese) https://www.tyojyu.or.jp/net/byouki/ninchishou/about.html
National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology. Causes of dementia (in Japanese). https://www.ncgg.go.jp/dementia/cause/
Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital. Mild cognitive impairment (citing the Japanese Society of Neurology Clinical Practice Guideline for Dementia 2017; in Japanese). https://www.tmghig.jp/hospital/diseases/brain/brain2/
Japan Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare research group. Prevalence and future estimates of dementia and MCI (2024, in Japanese). https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/001279920.pdf

This article is general information, not medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you are worried about symptoms, please talk to a doctor or a local support service.

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