Caregivers' Corner: Not every memory issue points to Alzheimer's

DEAR MARY: I am an active 70-something woman who is worried that I'm getting Alzheimer's disease. I've recently noticed that my current memory isn't what it used to be. Sometimes it takes a while to come up with someone's name or remember information I was just told. To my credit, though, I do eventually remember. Should I be worried?

DEAR READER: All things change with age; our brains are no different. Message transmission between neurons slows and it becomes more difficult to store and retrieve information.

I compare the brain to a computer. Like a new computer, the...