You’ve forgotten a few appointments lately and you find yourself losing track of conversations. Close friends or family may have also noticed some changes in your memory or thinking.

Becoming more forgetful and feeling slower in your thinking is normal in older age. But when these changes are more than you’d expect for your age it might be a sign of mild cognitive impairment.

So does that mean you’ll soon develop dementia?

The short answer is no, not necessarily. And there are things you can do to help prevent, slow or reverse the decline.

How do I know if I have it?

With mild cognitive impairment, changes in memory and thinking may not feel “mild” but are less severe than those in dementia. They also do not impact your ability to carry out daily activities.

No single test can diagnose mild cognitive impairment. Rather, a diagnosis is made based on your medical history, information from a friend or family member, and from the results of clinical tests that measure problems with memory or thinking.

So if you think you might have mild cognitive impairment, see your GP. They can perform some memory tests and refer you for further testing if needed.

Your GP can also rule out other conditions that might be causing your symptoms. These include nutritional deficiencies, thyroid problems or depression.

Addressing these can potentially reverse the changes in memory and thinking.

Why haven’t I heard of it?

Mild........

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