Caring for someone with Alzheimer’s is especially difficult. You’re likely presented with situations that you don’t always know how to handle, such as when the person you care for loses his or her temper. The Huffington Post recently published an insightful and touching piece by Marie Marley, a woman who spent seven years caring for her partner suffering from Alzheimer’s. Marley reflects on her time as a caregiver a bit regretfully, but offers forth what she learned from her experience to all other Alzheimer’s caregivers:

It certainly isn’t news that the senior population in this country is growing and will continue to grow at a rapid rate. Worldwide as well, the senior population is increasing as well; in some places, 2 of every 3 people are 60 or older. In a recent blog post, we explored what this will mean for how we care for seniors in the future. According to news, though, an aging population is not the only concern we will have worldwide in the near future: rates of dementia are skyrocketing as well, and by 2050 experts expect 2 billion people worldwide will struggle with this condition.

A number of EPOCH’s communities offer care and programming specific to the needs of those with memory related illnesses like Alzheimer’s, dementia and other conditions. EPOCH also has several memory care-only communities, like the one that opened in Hingham, MA, earlier this year. These programs and communities are staffed with team members educated specifically on the needs and desires of memory-impaired individuals.

We all have that one older relative or friend who seems to defy the laws of physics with regards to aging. They are sharp as a tack well into their later years, and show no signs or symptoms of the common cognitive declines that nearly all of us deal with as we get older. For some of us, we may cherish the memory of a beloved grandparent, great aunt or uncle who, up until their very last days, was bright-eyed, focused and possessing the brain power and memory of someone half their age.

Scientists have taken notice of these “SuperAgers,” who resist changes in memory as they age. Scientists say insight into these SuperAger brains could help their “cognitive opposites,” or those countless individuals who suffer from memory problems, dementia, and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.

How many times have you worried about the possible onset of dementia or Alzheimer’s after having a memory lapse? Perhaps you are more often than not unable to remember where you last placed your keys, or you have that sensation that a word is right at the tip of your tongue, but you simply can’t utter it. There are many different kinds of memory problems and forgetfulness, and certainly not all of them are indicative of a more serious problem. In fact, many can be attributed to unrelated things, such as sleep habits, diet, medications and much more. Here are some common memory problems that are usually not a sign of a greater issue.

-          Feeling generally absentminded. This occurs when you are probably not paying close attention to the task at hand, distracted by some other thought.

-          Memories fading over time. It’s normal and natural for some memories to become less vibrant as time passes.