Alzheimer's & Dementia

ABOUT THE SPECIAL NEED:

Alzheimer’s:

Is a general term for memory loss and other intellectual abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia.

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Dementia:

Is not a specific condition but a descriptive term for several symptoms. These symptoms can be caused by a number of disorders that affect the brain. People with dementia have significant impairment of intellectual functioning or thinking including memory loss. People with dementia lose their ability to solve problems and maintain emotional control. They experience personality changes and are often agitated, have delusions, and hallucinate.

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While memory loss is a common symptom of dementia, memory loss by itself does not mean that a person has dementia. Dementia is diagnosed if two or more brain functions – such as memory, language skills, perception, or cognitive skills including reasoning and judgment – are significantly impaired without loss of consciousness.