{"id":11456,"date":"2017-02-17T07:00:05","date_gmt":"2017-02-17T13:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.senioradvisor.com\/blog\/?p=11456"},"modified":"2017-09-19T11:35:01","modified_gmt":"2017-09-19T16:35:01","slug":"dementia-vs-alzheimers-whats-the-difference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/d30braiqprupoq.cloudfront.net\/blog\/2017\/02\/dementia-vs-alzheimers-whats-the-difference\/","title":{"rendered":"Dementia vs Alzheimer’s: What’s the Difference?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dementia vs Alzheimer’s: What’s the Difference?\"Dementia<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Dementia affects a significant number of seniors. So does Alzheimer\u2019s. Both subjects get talked about a lot these days, which causes some people to wonder: just what is the difference between dementia vs Alzheimer\u2019s?<\/p>\n

What is Dementia?<\/h2>\n

To start, you should understand what dementia is<\/a><\/strong>. According to the World Health Organization<\/a><\/strong>, dementia is characterized by \u201cdeterioration in memory, thinking, behaviour and the ability to perform everyday activities.\u201d<\/p>\n

The term isn\u2019t used to describe a specific disease, so much as a collection of symptoms that can be caused by a number of different diseases.<\/p>\n

While it\u2019s normal for seniors to start having memory issues the more they age, dementia goes a few steps further<\/a><\/strong>. When seniors start to lose the ability to finish sentences because they can\u2019t remember how they started, lose track of what day or month it is, and have difficulty making basic financial and life decisions, they\u2019ve likely tipped from normal memory loss into dementia and families should get them to a doctor.<\/p>\n

Alzheimer\u2019s is the leading cause of dementia.<\/h3>\n

Alzheimer\u2019s and dementia aren\u2019t synonymous terms, but everyone who has Alzheimer\u2019s either already has or will have dementia. The confusion is natural though, as the vast majority of dementia cases \u2013 around 75%<\/a><\/strong> \u2013 are caused by Alzheimer\u2019s. And it\u2019s not always possible to diagnose Alzheimer\u2019s with 100% accuracy, so a doctor\u2019s first guess in encountering someone with dementia is likely to be that they\u2019re exhibiting signs of Alzheimer\u2019s.<\/p>\n

While most seniors with dementia have Alzheimer\u2019s, it\u2019s possible to have dementia that\u2019s caused by any one of a number of other disorders.<\/p>\n

Other Diseases that Cause Dementia<\/h3>\n

In addition to Alzheimer\u2019s, seniors diagnosed with any of the following<\/a><\/strong> are also likely to show signs of dementia:<\/p>\n