Dementia and Other Related Illnesses
- Dementia is the loss of mental functions like memory, judgment, language,
and complex motor skills.
- Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly, representing 60
percent of all dementias in those over 65.
- Dementia can also be caused by several other disorders, including Parkinson’s disease,
Huntingon’s disease, and Lewy body dementia.
Next Step
Learn strategies to reduce caregiver stress and keep your loved one safe and content.
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Dementia is a general term that describes the loss of memory, judgment, language,
complex motor skills, and other intellectual function caused by damage to or death
of the brain’s nerve cells. Each type of dementia is characterized by different
structural changes in the brain (in Alzheimer’s, the accumulation of abnormal plaques
and tangles).
Strokes, other blood-supply blockages, alcohol abuse, and head injuries can also
lead to dementia. The symptoms and progression of dementia vary widely depending
on its cause, the location and number of damaged brain cells, and other factors.
Some dementias develop slowly over the course of years, while others may result
in sudden changes.
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive disorder of the central nervous system that
affects more than 1.5 million Americans. Parkinson’s causes both motor (movement-related)
and non-motor symptoms, including dementia. Huntington’s disease is a degenerative
brain disorder that slowly diminishes an individual’s ability to walk, talk, and
think.
Named for abnormal brain-cell structures called Lewy bodies, Lewy body dementia
(LBD) is the second-leading cause of degenerative dementia in the elderly. Although
symptoms vary, hallucinations are usually present, along with other features of
Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s (the degree to which LBD is a distinct entity from those
two diseases remains uncertain).
Next Step: Learn strategies to provide better care for someone
with dementia.
