(KTIV) – As people age, they may begin to forget things.

But there is a difference between normal aging and more serious conditions like dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease.

Every 65 seconds, someone in the United States develops Alzheimer’s Disease.

KTIV’s Michelle Schoening spoke with Greg Woods with the Alzheimer’s Association of Iowa Chapter about the differences.

“So dementia is any sort of condition that affects the brain and how it works. So there are a lot of types of dementia, but the most common type is Alzheimer’s,” said Woods. “So what we see in Alzheimer’s Disease is not a normal part of aging. It’s something totally different. And we see things that begin to affect daily life for people and what’s actually happening in the brain is there this build-up of plaques and tangles made up of protein that kind of clog up the brain cells and it stops them from being able to do what they need to do. Usually, it starts in the memory center of the brain. It spreads from there. It’s a progressive disease. It usually effects people after the age of 65. Our risk goes up as we age but it is not a guranteed part of aging.”

When it comes to research for the disease, Woods said the Alzheimer’s Association of Iowa Chapter is looking into early detection.

“We’re looking at it from a lot of different angles — it’s not just trying to find a single cure. That would be great. But we’re trying to look at are there better treatments? Are there things that we could do to detect the disease more actually or early,” said Woods. “A lot of people believe that some of the earliest mechanism start 20 years before the symptoms. aRe there things that we can do now that can make a difference later in life. Lifestyle factors: diet, exercise, keeping our brains sharp, staying social. These are big parts of research that people at the Alzheimer’s Association has looked into to make a difference. This is a complex disease no two people go through it the same way so we want to try to approach it as in many angles as we can.”

For more information, visit alz.org or alz.org/iowa.

If you’re a caregiver or if you have questions, call 1-800-272-3900.