Determining the difference between Alzheimer’s disease and dementia can be a challenging one as the issues involved with the conditions are so complex. However doctors and the medical community have some established guidelines.
Dementia for example is the impairment of one’s thinking and memory. It does interfere with the ability for someone to do normal day to day activities they once were completely capable of doing. The causes for dementia can be many. Alzheimer’s can be just one of these causes.
Alzheimer’s disease on the other hand is often the cause of dementia for many patients. However, its often diagnosed in patients that have microscopic brain abnormalities that affect brain function. These can sometimes be hard to detect. Doctors use an MRI or CAT Scan to conduct an investigation into whether someone has Alzheimer’s. They also look into the person’s recall of history (long term for example) and changes in daily habits. They look for any changes into these areas as Alzheimer’s sometimes has certain patterns that are recognizable.
It’s very highly recommended to seek out a qualified doctor to make these determinations on whether someone you know has either dementia or Alzheimers. There are also many other conditions that can affect memory that are not related to Alzheimer’s or dementia.
Memory care facilities accept patients with both Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. They are setup to help families and individuals deal with the wide variety of memory conditions.
