Excerpted from "A Year of Health Hints"
365 Practical Ways to Feel Better and Live Longer
Don't think that you're getting senile just because you forget someone's name or can't remember where you parked your car.
Everyone forgets occasionally. The truth is, most people do not become senile.
Senility (or senile dementia) is a state of confusion and forgetfulness triggered by mental decline. Almost 100 different
conditions mimic the symptoms of senility. (Alzheimer's disease is the most common. See Tip50 in chapter 2, Major Medical
Conditions: Prevention, Detection, and Treatment.) Poor nutrition, hormone disorders, and use of certain medications can also
cause confusion and forgetfulness. Even then, senility is misdiagnosed up to 20 percent of the time. So don't assume that you
or anyone else is senile without a thorough medical exam.