Many older people forget someone's name or misplace things from time to time. This kind of forgetfulness is normal. But, forgetting how to get home, getting confused in places a person knows well, or asking questions over and over can be signs of a more serious problem. The person may have Alzheimer's disease (pronounced Allz-high-merz duh-zeez). It is a disease of the brain that begins slowly and gets worse over time.