What is the difference between "dementia" and "Alzheimers"?

This is a picture of my brothers and me with my mother, who was suffering from Alzheimers, about five years before she died. People are confused about the terms Alzheimers and dementia. The doctor might use the terms interchangeably, and that is not wrong, but they are different, and I see people stumble over these terms. I worked for several years in an Alzheimers research lab at the University of Minnesota. Those are my credentials to instruct here. (Please share this post if you find it helpful.)

According to the Alzheimer's Association, "Dementia is a general term for loss of memory, language, problem-solving and other thinking abilities that are severe enough to interfere with daily life." https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/what-is-dementia

Dementia is a description of a way of being, a condition, like a broken arm is a condition, or itchy skin is a condition. The causes of those conditions could be many things: a broken arm could be caused by trauma (a car accident), or by having brittle bones, osteoporosis. Itchy skin can be caused by a mosquito bite, or by eczema.

Same with dementia. Dementia can be caused by the disease Alzheimers, or Lewy bodies, or frontotemporal dementia, or severe head injury. All these cause dementia, that gradual and persistent neuro-degeneration that interferes with reasoning, but they show up differently inside the brain and their mechanisms are different.

All doctors diagnose Alzheimers or the other brain pathologies as "possible" or "prob

able" because, as WebMD explains, "Doctors can’t definitely diagnose Alzheimer's disease until after death, when they can closely examine the brain under a microscope."

This, by the way, explains the confusion at first over the diagnosis of the brain disease that affected Robin Williams...it was not until after he died that it was discovered he suffered from Lewy body dementia. He had symptoms of dementia, trouble with planning and reasoning, and the depression that goes with it. But a definitive diagnosis was impossible without looking at brain tissue under a microscope.

Technology is allowing us to find evidence of brain pathologies in ways that are less invasive than cutting open the brain, and will allow earlier detection of a particular disease. Such evidence is called a "biomarker." For example, we are now able to detect in blood the buildup of one kind of nefarious protein that is present in brains with Alzheimers. It still is not a sure-fire diagnosis, it is still called "possible" or "probable", but it is called earlier...earlier detection is helping people cope with the changes that come and will continue to come as the brain deteriorates. There is no cure, yet.

© Sarah Knightwriter

---

How Does Dementia Affect Driving?

"If your loved one has been diagnosed with dementia, it’s crucial to recognize and understand the warning signs, what the diagnosis means for their driving privileges, and how to support them through the tumultuous shift." Read more here: https://www.wvpersonalinjury.com/dementia-and-driving/

"Caring for a loved one with dementia is an act of love that can be overwhelming at times. As dementia progresses, your loved one becomes increasingly dependent on you for their daily needs." Here are dementia caregiver tips with practical advice:

https://lanzonemorgan.com/caring-for-a-loved-one-with-dementia/