Understanding Dementia: A Guide for Newcomers

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Chances are, during your lifetime, a loved one will be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia. According to the Alzheimer’s Association:

Nearly 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s today.
More than 11 million Americans provide unpaid care for someone with dementia.
70% of dementia care partners feel stressed when coordinating care.
56% say a care navigator could help them be better caregivers.

If dementia has recently impacted your life, you’re not alone. These figures reflect a journey that many others are also navigating and there are resources to help.

Types, Causes and Symptoms of Dementia

While the terms Alzheimer’s disease and dementia are often used interchangeably, they are distinct from each other. Dementia is a broad term for symptoms that affect memory, language, or other thinking skills, often impacting a person’s ability to carry out daily activities. Dementia has many different types, while Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia

Different dementia’s impact the brain in different ways, have unique symptoms and affect different abilities and at different rates. The chart below provides a breakdown of the most common types of dementia.

Category	Overview	Prevalence
Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)	MCI is a disorder involving problems with memory that are greater than normal age related changes but do not affect daily life.	While MCI can serve as an early indicator of developing dementia, it does not guarantee progression. In some cases, individuals with MCI may experience a stabilization of symptoms or even improvement over time.
Alzheimer’s Disease	A progressive disorder impacting memory, language skills and the ability to carry out simple tasks. Symptoms include memory loss and confusion, changes in mood and personality and difficulty with problem solving and planning. While there’s no cure, treatments can help improve quality of life.	The most common form of dementia, responsible for 60% to 80% of cases.
Vascular Dementia	Caused by damage to brain blood vessels or tissue due to a lack of blood flow and is often related to a stroke. Cognitive symptoms may appear abruptly or gradually depending on the part of the brain affected. Common symptoms include movement and gait changes as well as a decline in verbal fluency.	It is the second most common form of dementia responsible for 20% to 30% of the cases.
Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD)	Destroys nerve cells in the frontal and temporal lobes, which are generally associated with personality, behavior and language. Some people with FTD experience dramatic personality changes and become socially inappropriate, impulsive or emotionally indifferent. Others have difficulty speaking and understanding language.	Accounts for 10% to 20% of dementia cases. It is recognized as one of the most common dementias occurring in the younger population, 45-64 years of age.
Lewy Body Dementia (LBD)	Results from abnormal deposits of the protein alpha-synuclein in the brain similar to Parkinson’t disease. It can disrupt sleep, induce vivid hallucinations, affect movement and coordination, and lead to memory loss.	Approximately 5% of older individuals with dementia have LBD alone, but most also exhibit brain changes associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
Mixed Dementia	When an individual shows brain changes resulting from more than one cause of dementia. The most common mixed dementia is Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia.	Over 50% of individuals diagnosed with dementia at Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers were found to have mixed dementia. Mixed dementia is most common among those over 75.

It is important to keep in mind that dementia is not a normal part of aging and not all memory problems are a result of dementia. Talk to your healthcare professional if you or someone you love notices changes in memory or thinking. For more insights into aging vs. dementia, see our other memory care blogs.

Help for Those Living with Dementia

Although every experience is unique, a wealth of research and resources are available to help guide and support you in providing the best possible care for those living with dementia. In a previous blog post, we discussed tools for coping with a dementia diagnosis. Here are some broad guidelines that can help as you begin to navigate your next steps:

Understand that dementia impacts not only the person diagnosed, but also those around them.
Stay informed, and keep learning as you go.
Foster positive communication to be an effective care partner.
Establish a daily routine to reduce confusion.
Develop a care plan that supports both the person with dementia and the care partner.

Following these steps can ease uncertainty and help you make informed decisions about care, including when it might be time to consider an assisted living or memory care community.

_{The information provided in this blog is for informational purposes only and should not be used as a diagnostic tool or a substitute for professional medical advice. If you have concerns about dementia for yourself or a loved one, please consult a healthcare professional.}