Have you ever wondered the difference between Alzheimer’s and Dementia? Have you thought these were one and the same? Well there not per se. Let’s look at what both are, and how they’re alike and different. I pray this helps someone who has a family member with dealing with this or as a caregiver.
Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease aren’t the same. You can have a form of dementia that’s completely unrelated to Alzheimer’s disease. According to the National Institute on Aging, dementia is a type of brain disorder that impacts performance of daily activities and communication. Alzheimer’s disease is type of dementia that affects memory, language, and thought.
What is dementia?
Dementia is an umbrella term for a set of symptoms including impaired thinking and memory. It is a term that is often associated with the cognitive decline of aging. However, issues other than Alzheimer’s can cause dementia. Other common causes of dementia are Huntington’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
What is Alzheimer’s Disease?
According to the Center for Disease Control, Alzheimer’s disease is a common cause of dementia causing as many as 50 to 70% of all dementia cases. In fact, Alzheimer’s is a very specific form of dementia. Symptoms of Alzheimer’s include impaired thought, impaired speech, and confusion. Doctors use a variety of screenings to determine the cause of dementia including blood tests, mental status evaluations and brain scans.
Alzheimer’s vs. dementia symptoms
The symptoms of Alzheimer’s and dementia can overlap, but there can be some differences. Both conditions can cause:
- a decline in the ability to think
- memory impairment
- communication impairment
The symptoms of Alzheimer’s include:
- difficulty remembering recent events or conversations
- apathy
- depression
- impaired judgment
- disorientation
- confusion
- behavioral changes
- difficulty speaking, swallowing, or walking in advanced stages of the disease
*Facts came from http://www.healthline.com/. *
Allyson is a published author, blogger, wife and mom to 4 kids. Three of her children are on the autism spectrum. She suffers from anxiety and panic attacks. On her blog you can find her writing about being an author, her faith and family. She resides in Missouri with her loving husband and four wonderful children, and three cats. She’s addicted to knitting and coffee.
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