Recently Dan, my fiancé, had to go from the house to his car in the visitor’s parking lot through drenching rain. Not the visitor’s parking lot across the street, which had been full, but the one much farther down the street. Digging through the various coats on the coat rack, I found an almost forgotten umbrella to save the day.
I’ve never been an umbrella person, and I can’t handle one at all with my cane, but there’s no doubt they serve a useful purpose. I will admit to being a little bit vain about the effect of drenching rain on my hair!
Dementia is like an umbrella in that it covers a wide variety of diseases. There are many kinds of dementias, but they are covered by the one term and have some similar characteristics.
What is Alzheimer’s?
Surprisingly, there are 400 kinds of dementia, and more than one can be present in a person, which is called mixed dementias. Alzheimer’s is the best known, but needs a specific diagnosis. People often think Alzheimer’s and dementia are interchangeable, and this isn’t the case. Dementia is the umbrella term, Alzheimer’s is one kind of dementia. 1. (see reference below)
Alzheimer’s begins, as many dementias do, with memory loss, but is progressive and affects all areas of daily living. First activities like handling appointments, finance and driving are affected, but this increases until the ability to dress, continence, personal hygiene and other areas of self-care are impacted. Alzheimer’s affects the part of the brain which controls thought, memory and language.
What Other Kinds of Dementia Are There?
I’m not going to list all 400 (I’d lose you quickly!) but the most common ones would be of interest.
- Alzheimer’s Disease
- Vascular Dementia
- Dementia with Lewy Bodies
- Frontotemporal Dementia
- Cruetzfeldt-Jakob Disease
- Young Onset Dementia
- Mixed Dementias. 2. (see reference below)
Why Does It Matter?
Beyond knowing that your elder has dementia, a specific diagnosis takes time, testing and an expert medical professional. Not all doctors are trained to do this.
Why does it matter?
So many reasons. It’s important to get a proper diagnosis from a geriatrician or other professional skilled in this kind of analysis, because it affects every aspect of your elder’s care. A specific diagnosis affects the medications which are used, the treatments available, the supports which can be accessed. Only having a diagnosis of dementia without knowing the specific kind would be like only knowing you have cancer but not what kind. Correct diagnosis is key.
Caregiving is a journey, and if you are starting, we want you to know you aren’t alone. Walk with us and we will walk with you.
- https://www.cdc.gov/aging/dementia/index.html
- https://www.westgatehealthcare.co.uk/news-article/do-you-know-the-7-types-of-dementia/
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