Confusion between Alzheimer’s and dementia is common.  While dementia is more of a general term, Alzheimer’s is a specific brain disease.

Alzheimer’s can be identified by symptoms of dementia that gradually get worse over time.

Alzheimer’s disease first affects the part of the brain associated with learning, so early symptoms often include transformations in memory, thinking, and cognitive reasoning skills.

Dementia describes a group of symptoms associated with a weakening in memory, reasoning or other cognitive thinking skills.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of severe dementia, accounting for 60-80% of dementia cases when the person must depend on others such as caregivers for help with basic activities of daily living.

Dementia is not a normal part of aging.

Dementia is often caused by damage to brain cells that affects the ability to communicate, which can alter thinking, behavior and feelings.

Likewise, Alzheimer’s is not a normal part of aging.

However, the greatest known risk factor is increasing age and the majority of people with Alzheimer’s tend to be 65 and older.

Early-onset Alzheimer’s also known as younger-onset Alzheimer’s disease affects a person under 65.

People with younger-onset Alzheimer’s can be in the early, middle or late stage of the disease.

Common Signs of Alzheimer’s Disease and/or Dementia

• Memory loss that affects daily life
• Confusion with numbers such as money or locations
• Loss of problem-solving ability
• Poor judgement or discernment
• Personality changes
• Limitations with speaking
• Misplacing things
• Wandering.
• Repeating comments or questions
• Anger or combative behavior

Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia. Studies show that Alzheimer’s disease accounts for 60-80% of dementia cases.

​Alzheimer’s worsens over time. Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease, where dementia 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.

On average, a person with Alzheimer’s lives 4 to 8 years after diagnosis but can live as long as 20 years, depending on other factors.

Alzheimer’s disease progresses in stages from mild, moderate to severe, with the severity of symptoms increasing over time.

Alzheimer’s disease currently has no cure, but one treatment called aducanumab (Aduhelm™) is the first in kind therapy to reveal that removing amyloid, one of the points of Alzheimer’s disease, from the brain is likely toreduce cognitive and functional decline.

Other treatments can temporarily slow the worsening of dementia symptoms and improve quality of life for those with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers.

The most common early symptom of Alzheimer’s is difficulty remembering newly learned information.

There is no doubt that our brains change as we age. However, severe memory loss, confusion and other major changes in the way our minds work may be a sign that brain cells may be failing failing.

Alzheimer’s can leads to increasingly serious symptoms such as disorientation, mood and behavior changes, deepening confusion about events, time and place, unfounded suspicions about family, friends and professional caregivers, more serious memory loss and behavior changes, and difficulty speaking, swallowing, and walking.

People with memory loss or other possible signs of Alzheimer’s may find it hard to recognize they have a problem.

Signs of dementia may be more obvious to family members or friends.

Anyone experiencing dementia-like symptoms should see a doctor as soon as possible.

Early diagnosis and intervention methods are improving dramatically, and options for treatment and support can improve quality of life.

Microscopic changes in the brain can begin long before the first signs of memory loss.

Scientists believe Alzheimer’s disease prevents parts of cell from running optimally.

As damage spreads, cells lose their ability to do their jobs and, eventually die, causing irreversible changes in the brain.

Alzheimer’s disease is a brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills, and, eventually, the ability to carry out the simplest tasks.

Estimates may vary, but studies suggest that more than 6 million Americans, most age 65 or older, may have dementia caused by Alzheimer’s.

Alzheimer’s disease is currently ranked as the seventh leading cause of death in the United States and is the most common cause of dementia among older adults.

Alzheimer’s disease is named after Dr. Alois Alzheimer. In 1906, Dr. Alzheimer noticed changes in the brain tissue of a woman who had died of an unusual mental illness. Her symptoms included memory loss, language problems, and unpredictable behavior. After she died, Dr. Alzheimer examined her brain and found many abnormal clumps, referred to as amyloid plaques, and tangled bundles of fibers, referred to as neurofibrillary, or tau, tangles.

These plaques and tangles in the brain are still considered some of the main features of Alzheimer’s disease.

Another feature is the loss of connections between neurons in the brain.

Neurons transmit messages between different parts of the brain, and from the brain to muscles and organs in the body.

How does Alzheimer’s affect the brain?

During the early stage of Alzheimer’s, toxic changes are taking place in the brain, including abnormal buildups of proteins that form amyloid plaques and tau tangles. Healthy neurons stop functioning, lose connections with other neurons, and die. Many other complex brain transformations are thought to play a role in Alzheimer’s as well.

The damage initially appears to take place in the hippocampus and the entorhinal cortex, which are parts of the brain that are essential in forming memories. As more neurons die, additional parts of the brain are affected and begin to shrink. By the final stage of Alzheimer’s, damage is widespread and brain tissue has reduced in size significantly.

Today, there is a worldwide effort underway to find better ways to treat the disease, delay its onset, and prevent it from developing.

The Assisting Hands® Way to Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care

We provide the support and individualized care that your loved one needs in any stage of Alzheimer’s or dementia.

We believe in using a team approach that includes coordination with doctors, nurses, social workers, therapists, family members, and others involved in your loved one’s healthcare needs.

Call us today.

https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/what-is-alzheimers

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