Dementia or Alzheimer’s?

Firstly let me ask you a couple of questions:

• What is Dementia?
• What is Alzheimer’s Disease?

Well in the last few months, for various reasons, I’ve found myself do a we bit of research into what dementia is and how that differs from Alzheimer’s.

Here’s one definition of Dementia that I found:

Dementia may be caused by a number of illnesses that affect the brain. Dementia typically leads to memory loss, inability to do everyday things, difficulty in communication, confusion, frustration, as well as personality and behaviour changes. People with dementia may also develop behavioural and psychological symptoms such as depression, aggression and wandering. (from http://hcd2.bupa.co.uk/fact_sheets/html/Dementia.html)

Personally I always thought that Dementia was a less severe form of Alzheimer’s, however I’ve now learned that I have in fact got this completely wrong, because Alzheimer’s is in fact on type of dementia!

There are in fact many different types of Dementia, including ((from http://hcd2.bupa.co.uk/fact_sheets/html/Dementia.html)):

• Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia. Alzheimer’s disease changes the brain’s structure, which leads to the death of nerve cells. This disrupts the brain’s usual activity. People with Alzheimer’s disease also have a shortage of chemicals involved with the transmission of messages within the brain.
• Vascular dementia is another common form of dementia and is triggered by blockages to the blood vessels (vascular system) in the brain. Not enough blood and oxygen reach the nerve cells so they die. Areas of brain tissue that have died in this way are called infarcts, so vascular dementia is also called multi-infarct dementia. It may be easier to think of vascular dementia as a series of strokes that result from other health problems such as high blood pressure.
• Mixed dementia is when you have more than one type of dementia at the same time. A common combination is Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia.
• Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is a type of dementia caused by Lewy bodies, which are made from an abnormal build-up of a particular protein in the brain.
• Dementia can also occur in the final stages of other conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease, AIDS and Creutzfeld-Jakob disease.

Dementia of any form can be difficult to deal with both by the sufferer as well as their friends and family. It can be frustrating and frightening time as the sufferer starts to have some or all of the following symptoms:

• increasing difficulties with tasks and activities that require concentration and planning
• memory loss
• depression
• changes in personality and mood
• periods of mental confusion
• wandering during the night
• aggression
• low attention span
• believing in things that are not true
• slower movement,
• shaking and trembling of arms and legs
• shuffling while walking,
• problems sleeping
• visual hallucinations
• compulsive behaviour,
• personality changes. e.g. A person who was previously withdrawn may become very outgoing, or vice versa.
• speaking far less than usual, or not speaking at all,
• having problems finding the right words to express themselves

If you or a member of your family suffer from any form of dementia, or you think they may be in the early stages of dementia, I’d encourage you to seek medical advice. The sooner you seek medical advice and get a firm diagnosis, the sooner you and your friends/family can start to get some help and advice.