Dementia
Dementia refers to a collection of symptoms that involves declines in multiple areas of intellectual function, including memory, language, attention and problem solving. Although most individuals experience problems in these areas from time to time, these symptoms must be serious enough to cause a disturbance daily life to be considered dementia.[1]
Although it is largely associated with the elderly, dementia can occur at any stage of life.[3] Causes of dementia include a number of events or conditions such as injury, stroke, genetic diseases, metabolic disorders and even alcohol or drug abuse.[3] Symptoms of dementia include memory loss, communication difficulties, personality changes and poor judgment.[2][3] Although there is no cure for most dementias, treatments may slow progression.[1][2][3]
The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer's disease, which accounts for up to 80 percent of all dementias.[3] Other types of dementia include vascular dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), dementia caused by Huntington's disease, and Pick's disease.[2][3]
For more an in-depth look at dementia signs and treatments, read Dementia Overview: Signs, Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment in our Elder Health Guides section.
For more information on our services for dementia-affected patients, please see Alzheimer's Care in our Elder Care Services section.
For More Information
Learn more about Alzheimer's and Dementia care services and Alzheimer's care communities at Emeritus.
References
1. Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine (Feb. 12, 2005) Dementia: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnoses. Retrieved April 30, 2009, from http://www.brain.northwestern.edu/mdad/dementia.html.
2. Alzheimer's Society (n.d.) What is dementia? Retrieved April 30, 2009, from http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents.php?categoryID=200120.
3. MindDisorders.com (n.d.) Dementia. Retrieved April 30, 2009, from http://www.minddisorders.com/Del-Fi/Dementia.html.
