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ABOUT DEMENTIA Dementia is a general term for memory loss and other intellectual abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life. There are many different causes of memory loss. Alzheimer’s, a brain disease that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior, is the most common form of dementia. Alzheimer’s disease accounts for 50 to 70 percent of dementia cases. Alzheimer’s is not a normal part of aging, although the greatest known risk factor is increasing age, and the majority of people with Alzheimer’s are 65 and older. But Alzheimer’s is not just a disease of old age. Up to 5 percent of people with the disease have early-onset Alzheimer’s (also known as younger-onset), which often appears when someone is in their 40s or 50s. Alzheimer’s worsens over time. Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease, where symptoms gradually worsen over a number of years. In its early stages, memory loss is mild, but with late-stage Alzheimer’s, individuals lose the ability to carry on a conversation and respond to their environment. 10 WARNING SIGNS OF DEMENTIA 1. Memory loss that disrupts daily life 2. Challenges in planning or solving problems 3. Difficulty completing familiear tasks at home, work or leisure 4. Confusion with time or place 5. Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships 6. New problems with words in speaking or writing 7. Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps 8. Decreased or poor judgment 9. Withdrawal from work or social activities 10. Changes in mood and personality Source: www.alz.org |
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