it's a memory deficit PLUS a defecit in at least one other cognitive domain (thought process). there can be different symptoms of dementia and they can be different in severity and order of appearance. however, ALL dementias involve some impairment of memory, thinking, reasoning, and language. and the news gets worse: personality changes and abnormal behavior may also occur as dementia progresses.
you can understand why this is the number one fear of aging adults, huh?
when you say "my grandpa has alzheimer's" what you're really saying is my grandpa has dementia of the alzheimer's type. think of dementia as the umbrella disease. or use this analogy- dementia : alzheimer's as fruit : apple.
there are other types of dementia, too. they fall into four categories.
one. degenerative diseases (alzheimer's, pick's, huntington's, parkinson's, etc.)
two. vascular dementias (binswanger's, cerebral embolism, etc.)
three. traumatic dementias (brain injuries... think boxers)
four. infections (aids, opportunistic infections, etc.)
this is the boring stuff, i know. tips and tricks soon.
1 comment:
So, what do I do if my grandma keeps forgetting Jonathan's name, or keeps forgetting my name, or writes me blank checks? Or, what if she starts going outside in the middle of the night looking for the paper because she thinks its morning, but it's not?
Thank you, oh wise one.
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