Dementia - Understanding The Different Types and Causes

Dementia is a neurological disorder that is often very misunderstood. If you were to ask a person on the street what they thought dementia was, they would probably reply with "crazy" or some variation that is surface-level, and stereotype.

Our culture has not helped people to understand dementia either. Movies or television, or even our day-to-day conversations have widely used phrases such as "he is demented" or "that's demented" - phrases that are used to conjure up images of mental instability or craziness. Dementia is more complex than these phrases would imply, and the causes and effects of dementia are complicated and far-reaching.

Many people also assume that Dementia is Alzheimer's. A number of disorders can cause dementia, and we should not always assume that it is Alzheimer's.

So what is Dementia? In basic terms, dementia is a "neurological disorder that affects your ability to think, speak, reason, remember and move." It is true that Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia, however, there are many other conditions that can cause dementia-like symptoms. Some of these disorders do get worse over time, and are progressive. However, some of them respond well to treatments, and thankfully, with some types, the symptoms can even be reversed.

Another clinical definition dementia is: Development of multiple cognitive deficits that include memory impairment and at least one other cognitive domain: aphasia, agnosia, apraxia, or a disturbance in executive functioning. (From DMS-IV-TR,2000)

There are a number of types of dementia, and at times, a person can have more than one of these types at the same time. The most common forms of Dementia are:

Vascular Dementia: This is a dementia where the arteries of the brain become narrowed or blocked. This type of dementia frequently occurs after a stroke, and the onset of symptoms are usually very abrupt. Sometimes, vascular dementia is hard to distinguish from Alzheimer's disease. The prevalence of vascular dementia is higher in men than in women and incidences increase with age and the most common result of Vascular Dementia is cognitive decline - problems with thinking, language, walking, bladder control and vision.

Lewy Body Dementia: Lewy bodies are abnormal clumps of protein that have been found in the brains of people with Lewy body dementia, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Lewy Body Dementia is a "progressive brain disease and the second leading cause of degenerative dementia in the elderly
. The clinical name, “dementia with Lewy bodies” (DLB), accounts for up to 20% of all dementia cases, or 800,000 patients in the US. Over 50% of Parkinson’s disease patients develop “Parkinson’s disease dementia” (PDD
), which accounts for at least 750,000 patients. (PDD is also a Lewy body dementia.)"

Frontotemporal dementia: This is a form of dementia that affects areas of the brain that are responsible for judgment and social behavior. This form of dementia usually appears in people between the ages of 40 and 65.

A number of other disorders are related to dementia. These less common disorders can also result in dementia: Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and AIDS.

Often times, people with dementia, especially the elderly, need to live in an assisted living facility that offers specific care for dementia and memory disorders. There are numerous assisted living facilities listed on this site that specialize in dementia, as well as care or other memory disorders, including Alzheimer's disease.

Resources:
The Mayo Clinic
Lewy Body Dementia Association
The Association For Frontotemporal Degeneration - Partners In Care - Many FTD patients have a particularly difficult time finding suitable assisted living facilities for several reasons. Many times, staff do not know what FTD is or how to handle a patient with it. FTD patients are often younger, stronger and have behavioral issues that are not present with Alzheimer's or other dementias. This combination makes it very hard for our families to find a good living arrangement for their loved one. As an aside, AFTD just launched an education initiative called Partners in FTD Care, which is aimed at working with long-term care facilities (and day facilities) to provide educational tools to facility staff so that FTD patients get the best care possible. The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration offers a comprehensive view on FTD to help families and individuals to understand this disease process, and just as important - the AFTD is committed to finding a cure, and 'opening gateways to help.'

- by the staff at Assisted Living Directory