Dementia Defined

Dementia itself is not actually one specific disease; nor is it the occasional short-term memory loss we all experience. 

Instead, Dementia is a term that we use to describe a variety of symptoms caused by a number of medical disorders that affect the brain through impaired cognition, disrupting the person's relationships and normal activities. 

Dementia is diagnosed by a health care provider when one experiences significant impairment of two or more brain functions, such as memory and mood disturbances. Those with dementia may lose their ability to solve problems and maintain emotional control experiencing personality changes and behavioral problems, such as agitation, delusions, and hallucinations.

Later symptoms include disturbed gait leading to more falls, inability to participate in self-care such as dressing and bathing, and loss of bowel or bladder control.

Dementia is not a normal component of the aging process. 

Some disease processes that cause dementia symptoms include Alzheimer’s disease (AD), vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal dementia, Huntington’s disease, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

Other conditions that can contribute to dementia include reactions to medications, nutritional deficiencies, infections, brain injury and tumor growth.