• Home
  • About me / Privacy Disclosure
    • Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk Info
    • Contact Us| Or Ask a Question on Facebook
  • The Stages of Alzheimer’s

Alzheimers Support

Learning and sharing information to support those with Alzheimers dementia

  • Just me…
  • The Stages
    • Late Stage
    • Middle Stage
    • Early Stage
  • Questions
    • How to Take the Car Away
  • Best Reads
  • Communication
  • Care Tips
    • Healthy Diet
    • Medical
  • The Caregiver
    • Caring for the Caregiver
    • Memories Forgotten
  • Signs and Symptoms
  • In the News
  • Health and Aging
  • Alzheimer’s Clocks
  • Activities
    • Activities for those with Alzheimers or Dementia
    • Activities to Share with a loved one who has Dementia
    • Best Gifts for those with Alzheimer’s Dementia
    • 5 Activities to Keep Hands Busy for thse with Alzheimer’s or Other dementias
    • Does Mom with Alzheimer’s Need a Baby doll?
    • Baby Dolls Crafted for dementia and the Elderly
  • Holidays and Gifts
    • How to Choose Fun Gifts for Seniors with Alzheimer’s
    • Best Gifts for Caregivers
    • Best Gifts for Elderly People with Alzheimer’s
    • A few Great Gift Ideas for those with dementia
    • Alzheimer’s Digital Clock keeps time for those with dementia
    • Alzheimer’s Fidget Quilts for Sale Online
    • Chocolate may Soothe Anger in Alzheimer’s
You are here: Home / Recommended Reading / What is the difference between Alzheimer’s and Dementia?

What is the difference between Alzheimer’s and Dementia?

02/256 Comments

 Frena Gray Davidson on “The Difference Between Alzheimer’s and dementia?”

“What’s the difference between Alzheimer’s and dementia?” asks a sensible middle-aged woman in my Alzheimer’s Boot Camp class for start-up family caregivers.

I’m always still amazed to find that is the most common question I get asked. So, writing as a non-medical long term dementia caregiver, here goes.

Alzheimer’s disease IS a dementia, one of many. Especially many dementias of old age. Some have specific names, many don’t. Among the dementias with names are Alzheimer’s disease, Korsakoff’s Syndrome connected with alcoholism, vascular dementia, Pick’s disease, AIDs dementia, Lewy Body disease and many more.

All Alzheimer’s disease is dementia but not all dementias are Alzheimer’s.

There are also dementias associated with other health conditions, but without their own special name. Such as lack of sufficient oxygen to the brain, Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus and dementia of the dying process.

There are temporary dementias, such as when an elder goes into hospital. It is quite common for someone to develop what looks like dementia but which tends to gradually clear up after returning home again.

The term dementia really only describes what we see. It is a syndrome of behaviors, brain function loss and memory issues that we see affecting a person. Dementia does not describe only memory issues. There are a lot of normal age-related memory issues which are not dementia — trouble remembering names, the title of a movie and so on.

When we see this collection of dysfunctions, that’s when we get that person to the doctor for a full Alzheimer’s investigation.

By the way, Dr Alzheimer’s Alzheimer’s disease is not really our Alzheimer’s. Back in the early years of last century, the good doctor Alzheimer researched what was then called “Pre-senile dementia” — what we now call early-onset dementia.

He did not investigate dementias in elders, the most common dementia we hear spoken about today. Now, whether Alzheimer’s is really the most common dementia in reality — well, that is quite another question.

That is actually a bit of a mystery. Well, a big mystery. There is so far no actual marker for Alzheimer’s. There is no genetic marker, no chemical marker, even the physical deterioration is not absolutely Alzheimer’s beyond all doubt. This will undoubtedly change as research continues into this most-researched of all medical conditions.

A lot of people don’t realize an official diagnosis of Alzheimer’s is actually a default diagnosis. It is what remains after other knowable things have been eliminated — medication issues, liver test, blood test, cancer and so on. To me, a very non-medical person, it seems like saying someone has a cold but not knowing which virus caused it.

But hey, as long as they continue the search for the cure of the common cold — or, in this case, Alzheimer’s — I guess that’s okay for the moment.

So, just tell your friends, all Alzheimer’s is dementia but not all dementia is Alzheimer’s. And what you guess is dementia may not be dementia at all.

Frena Gray-Davidson, an Alzheimer’s caregiver, support group facilitator and author of five books on caregiving including her latest, “Alzheimer’s 911: Hope, Help and Healing for Caregivers“, available from http://www.amazon.com. Frena presents direct care staff training in dementia behaviors and educates family caregivers at seminars and conferences nationally and internationally. You can find her website at http://alzguide.com/.

———————————————

 

About the Author

Originally from England, Frena Gray-Davidson came to the USA in 1986 (after several years in Asia/India). With over twenty years experience in Alzheimer’s care, her credits include: support group facilitator for the Alzheimer’s Association, keynote speaker for the Royal Alzheimer Society of Great Britain, international presenter of workshops on dementia, trainer/educator of dementia-care workers/family caregivers author of seventeen books.

 

The Alzheimer’s Sourcebook, 4th edition: A Practical Guide to Getting Through The  Speaking Dementia [Paperback] [2011] (Author) Frena Gray-Davidson

—————————————————————————————————————

Related Posts

  • Lewy Body Dementia A Common Brain Disease Explained
  • Compare Normal Memory loss to Signs and Symptoms of Alzheimer's dementia
  • A Caregiver's Guide: "Alzheimer's Disease - 300 Tips" : Review

Filed Under: Recommended Reading, What are the Signs and Symptoms Tagged With: Alzheimer's, dementia, Difference

Comments

  1. Holly Eburne says

    03/28 at 5:32 am

    Hi Frena,

    Thanks for your explanation on dementia versus Alzheimer’s. It is clear and I hope many people read this because I get asked the same question many times.

    Thanks again for your time in writing this.
    Holly

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Categories

Most of Those with Dementia love Music

Email Updates

Most Recent Articles

  • Answering Your Questions
  • Form a Network of Support when dealing with Alzheimer’s
  • Lesser Known Early Signs of Alzheimer’s
  • Healthy diet and exercise equal sound sleep for the aging
  • 8 Things Can Change How You Approach Caregiving
  • 6 Warning Signs in Elderly Should Never be Ignored
  • Thank you to Nancy Madaris!
  • Home Test for Alzheimer’s – Will You Take the Test?

Let Them Listen to a Favorite Book

Most Viewed Articles

Tips for the Holidays when someone has Alzheimer’s

Nursing Home or Group Home How to choose

Would you really want to know if Alzheimer’s was in your future?

What is Shadowing with Alzheimer’s Dementia?

Glen Campbell making Brave Challenge to a Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s

Is This The Beginning of Alzheimer’s Disease or… What City is this anyway?

Can Fiction Mimic True Life? – “Still Alice” :Book Review

Why do those with Alzheimer’s Dementia Wander?

Copyright © 2021 · Lifestyle Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in