MASSENA -- Massena Memorial Hospital and Dr. Jayant Jhaveri offer a community talk Wednesday on memory, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, and tips to preserve your memory.

Most of us start worrying about dementia after retirement, but experts say that if you really want to ward off dementia, you need to start taking care of your brain in your 30s and 40s, or even earlier. More and more research is suggesting that lifestyle is very important to a person’s brain health. .

Massena Memorial Hospital is sponsoring a community seminar on “What is Memory? Dementia? Alzheimer’s?” presented by Dr. Jhaveri at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the hospital board room.

Your mind works a lot like a computer. Your brain puts information it judges to be important into "files." When you remember something, you pull up a file. Memory doesn't always work perfectly. As people grow older, it may take longer to retrieve those files. Some adults joke about having a "senior moment."

It's normal to forget things once in awhile. We've all forgotten a name, where we put our keys, or if we locked the front door. Seniors who forget things more often than others their age may have mild cognitive impairment. Forgetting how to use the telephone or find your way home may be signs of a more serious problem. These include Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia, stroke, depression, head injuries, thyroid problems, or reactions to certain medicines. If you're worried about your forgetfulness, see your doctor.

• If you can answer "yes" to any of the following, you might benefit from a memory screening.

• Are you becoming more forgetful?

• Do you have trouble concentrating?

• Do you have difficulty performing familiar tasks?

• Do you have trouble recalling words or names in conversation?

• Do you sometimes forget where I am or where I am going?

• Have family or friends told me that I am repeating questions or saying the same thing over and over again?

• Are you misplacing things more often?

• Have you become lost when walking or driving?

• Have family or friends noticed changes in your mood, behavior, personality, or desire to do things?

What does it mean when someone is said to have dementia? For some people, the word conjures up scary images of “crazy” behavior and loss of control. In fact, the word dementia describes a group of symptoms that includes short-term memory loss, confusion, the inability to problem-solve, the inability to complete multi-step activities such as preparing a meal or balancing a checkbook, and, sometimes, personality changes or unusual behavior.

Saying that someone has dementia does not offer information about why that person has these symptoms. Compare it to someone who has a fever: the person is ill from the fever, but the high temperature does not explain the cause or why this person is ill.

Does any loss of memory signify dementia? Isn’t memory loss a normal part of aging? We often hear that because someone is old, memory problems are “just natural” and are to be expected. But we know that serious memory loss is not a normal part of aging, and should not be ignored.

On the other hand, families might assume that a loved one’s noticeable loss of memory must be caused by Alzheimer’s disease. In many instances, Alzheimer’s is, in fact, the problem. But other conditions also can cause memory and cognitive problems severe enough to interfere with daily activities. These conditions can affect younger as well as older people. A clear diagnosis is needed.

To pre-register for the Wednesday talk, call 769-4262.