What is dementia? | 2 min read

Has anyone offered you a purple ribbon? On 21 September, the world commemorates those affected by dementia. Those diagnosed with dementia, their loved ones, and caregivers are part of the close system touched by the disease, but even they are not always clear about what the diagnosis means. This article briefly explains the concept of dementia and clears up some of the misleading ideas that we have about the diagnosis.

Is it Alzheimer’s or dementia?

Most people refer to Alzheimer’s whenever there is a diagnosis of dementia. Strictly speaking, though, dementia is an umbrella term for different types of dementia.

What is dementia, exactly?

Dementia is a decrease in your brain’s ability to carry out cognitive tasks, such as remembering, judging accurately, reasoning and paying attention. This decline is not in line with average ageing. While we all have lapses in cognition from time to time, the challenges facing a person with dementia are severe enough to disrupt daily living.

Types of dementia

While Alzheimer’s is only one type of dementia, it is probably the one we have heard of most because its name often appears in social media and in creative productions such as films. The types of cognitive changes we see in dementia differ from one type to another. For example, Alzheimer’s patients experience a profound loss of memory – often, the earliest is the last to leave them. But there are other forms of dementia, such as vascular dementia, where memory might not be as severely affected, or frontotemporal dementia, where changes in social behaviour and language difficulties are more noticeable than any memory loss.

Is there help?

Dementia cannot be cured yet. However, there are options to help the person diagnosed with the disease to slow the decline. These include medication, cognitive stimulation programmes, social skills groups and physical therapies. There are also support services for loved ones and caregivers affected by the disorder.

Though none of these will prevent or cure the disease, they can help everyone involved come to grips with its effects and put the necessary in place. Making decisions about care, wills and testaments, driving, management and the roles each person will play can be helpful for everyone involved. Probably most importantly, this gives the person diagnosed the chance to be involved in deciding what they want before the disease clouds their thinking.

What can I do?

If you are concerned about yourself or a loved one, make an appointment with someone with expertise in the field. It could be a neurologist, neuropsychologist, psychiatrist or geriatrician. A precise diagnosis is the first step toward better management.