Margaret is at the grocery store. She runs into her neighbor Susan — someone she has known for 15 years. Margaret says hello warmly, but in the moment she completely blanks on Susan's name. Later that evening the name comes to her: "Susan! Of course!"

Robert used to handle all household finances with ease. Over the past 8 months, his wife Carol notices he takes much longer to balance the checkbook. Last week he missed paying the electric bill — something he had never done before.

He still drives to familiar places, cooks simple meals, and enjoys daily walks. He sometimes needs more time to organize his thoughts in conversation.

Frank's daughter Linda has taken over his medications and finances — he often takes the wrong pills or forgets them entirely. Last month he got lost driving to his own church — a place he'd been going to for 30 years.

At home Frank sometimes sees people in the room who aren't there. Some mornings he's sharp; other days he barely responds. He needs help bathing and getting dressed.

Dorothy's husband passed away 4 months ago. Since then she has been sleeping poorly, lost interest in bridge, and has been unusually forgetful — missing appointments, forgetting conversations from the day before.

Her neurologist scores her slightly below normal on a memory test, but notes she cries during the appointment and says "I just can't concentrate on anything since he died."

Over the past year George has become much slower in his thinking — longer to answer questions, pauses mid-sentence, trouble following complex TV plots. He also asks the same questions repeatedly in the same afternoon.

He still manages his medication with a pill organizer his wife prepares, can dress and eat independently, and has not gotten lost or had hallucinations.