What’s the difference between Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease?

Did you know that dementia is not a disease in and of itself? Dementia is actually an umbrella term used to describe a group of symptoms that affect a person’s thinking, memory, problem-solving, behaviour and ability to perform daily tasks.

Dementia is caused by diseases that affect the brain. There are many forms or causes of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, Vascular dementia and Dementia with Lewy bodies.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, affecting up to 70% of all people living with dementia.[1] It is a degenerative disease that disrupts the nerve cells in the brain, particularly those responsible for carrying messages and storing memories, eventually causing those cells to die. One of the earliest and most common symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease is lapses in memory, especially with recent events.

As the disease progresses, other common symptoms will include difficulty finding the right words to use, becoming vague in conversations, losing the ability to problem solve, forgetting familiar names and places and difficulty processing instructions or questions. The speed in which the disease progresses will vary, depending on the individual and which part of the brain has been affected.

At this stage, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s Disease; however, there are some medications being used to temporarily improve the cognitive function of someone with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s Disease.

To find out more about Dementia you can view Altura Learning’s course on Dementia: An Introduction for FREE during the month of September 2020 in support of World Alzheimer’s Day.

Register to view the course here.

Sources:

https://www.dementia.org.au/about-dementia/types-of-dementia/alzheimers-disease

https://www.alz.co.uk/info/alzheimers-disease

[1] https://www.dementia.org.au/about-dementia/types-of-dementia/alzheimers-disease