Which is worse dementia or Alzheimer's?

Alzheimer's disease starts in the brain many years before symptoms start to show. Early symptoms are mild and so don't stop someone doing their normal everyday activities. It's only later that symptoms become severe enough to be called 'dementia'.

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Do you live longer with Alzheimer's or dementia?

A few people with Alzheimer's live for longer, sometimes for 15 or even 20 years. Vascular dementia – around five years. This is lower than the average for Alzheimer's mostly because someone with vascular dementia is more likely to die from a stroke or heart attack than from the dementia itself.

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Can you have dementia without having Alzheimer's?

Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia, but it's not the only one. There are many different types and causes of dementia, including: Lewy body dementia. Frontotemporal dementia.

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Does all dementia turn into Alzheimer's?

Overall, know that Alzheimer's disease is a specific disease, while dementia is a general term for a group of similar diseases, of which Alzheimer's is one. In other words, every case of Alzheimer's disease is an example of dementia, but not every type of dementia is Alzheimer's.

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What is the most severe form of dementia?

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease causes a type of dementia that gets worse unusually fast. More common causes of dementia, such as Alzheimer's, dementia with Lewy bodies and frontotemporal dementia, typically progress more slowly. Through a process scientists don't yet understand, misfolded prion protein destroys brain cells.

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What's the difference between dementia and Alzheimer's?

45 related questions found

Which dementia is aggressive?

Aggression is not a stage of dementia — rather, it is a symptom. It does not happen to everyone or follow a predictable pattern or timeline. Aggression is often, but not always, a symptom that occurs in the later stages of Alzheimer's disease.

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What is very fast decline dementia?

Rapidly progressive dementias (RPDs) are dementias that progress quickly, typically over the course of weeks to months, but sometimes up to two to three years. RPDs are rare and often difficult to diagnose. Early and accurate diagnosis is very important because many causes of RPDs can be treated.

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Is dementia hereditary yes or no?

Many people affected by dementia are concerned that they may inherit or pass on dementia. The majority of dementia is not inherited by children and grandchildren. In rarer types of dementia there may be a strong genetic link, but these are only a tiny proportion of overall cases of dementia.

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How quickly does dementia progress?

There is no way to be sure how quickly a person's dementia will progress. Some people with dementia will need support very soon after their diagnosis. In contrast, others will stay independent for several years.

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Do people with dementia sleep a lot?

It is quite common for a person with dementia, especially in the later stages, to spend a lot of their time sleeping – both during the day and night. This can sometimes be distressing for the person's family and friends, as they may worry that something is wrong.

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What is the 5 word memory test?

Administration: The examiner reads a list of 5 words at a rate of one per second, giving the following instructions: “This is a memory test. I am going to read a list of words that you will have to remember now and later on. Listen carefully. When I am through, tell me as many words as you can remember.

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What is the 3 word memory test?

The Mini-Cog test.

A third test, known as the Mini-Cog, takes 2 to 4 minutes to administer and involves asking patients to recall three words after drawing a picture of a clock. If a patient shows no difficulties recalling the words, it is inferred that he or she does not have dementia.

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At what stage do dementia patients forget family members?

In stage 6 of dementia, a person may start forgetting the names of close loved ones and have little memory of recent events.

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Is Alzheimer's expected to end in death?

People often live for years with dementia. While it can be difficult to think of these diseases as terminal, they do eventually lead to death. Caregivers often experience special challenges surrounding the end of life of someone with dementia in part because the disease progression is so unpredictable.

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What should you not do with dementia?

I'm going to discuss five of the most basic ones here: 1) Don't tell them they are wrong about something, 2) Don't argue with them, 3) Don't ask if they remember something, 4) Don't remind them that their spouse, parent or other loved one is dead, and 5) Don't bring up topics that may upset them.

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What is the most common cause of death in dementia patients?

One of the most common causes of death for people with dementia is pneumonia caused by an infection. A person in the later stages of dementia may have symptoms that suggest that they are close to death, but can sometimes live with these symptoms for many months.

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What are signs that dementia is getting worse?

Read on to learn more about sudden worsening of dementia symptoms.
...
Some signs of stroke to watch for include :
  • sudden confusion.
  • trouble speaking or understanding speech.
  • inability to move one side of the face or body.
  • sudden change in balance or coordination.
  • sudden loss of vision.
  • sudden and severe headache.

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Does a person with dementia know they are confused?

In the earlier stages, memory loss and confusion may be mild. The person with dementia may be aware of — and frustrated by — the changes taking place, such as difficulty recalling recent events, making decisions or processing what was said by others.

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What causes dementia patients to suddenly get worse?

Most cases of sudden confusion and rapidly progressive dementia in an elderly person are due to delirium caused by infection. Urinary infections and pneumonia can trigger acute confusion that comes on quickly, causing people to be incoherent, muddled and disorientated.

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Who usually gets dementia?

Age. The biggest risk factor for dementia is ageing. This means as a person gets older, their risk of developing dementia increases a lot. For people aged between 65 and 69, around 2 in every 100 people have dementia.

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What sleeping position is linked to Alzheimer's?

This increased risk remained even when controlled for age, sex, snoring, or diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea. Researchers suggested the supine position reduces blood movement in and out of the brain, and reduces lung efficiency, resulting in lower brain oxygenation.

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What are the 10 warning signs of dementia?

Ten warning signs of dementia
  • Dementia and memory loss. ...
  • Dementia and difficulty with tasks. ...
  • Dementia and disorientation. ...
  • Dementia and language problems. ...
  • Dementia and changes in abstract thinking. ...
  • Dementia and poor judgement. ...
  • Dementia and poor spatial skills. ...
  • Dementia and misplacing things.

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What it means when a person with dementia says I want to go home?

Often when a person with dementia asks to go home it refers to the sense of 'home' rather than home itself. 'Home' may represent memories of a time or place that was comfortable and secure and where they felt relaxed and happier. It could also be an indefinable place that may not physically exist.

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How can you tell what stage of dementia a person is in?

If you aren't sure which stage of dementia you or your loved one are in right now, take an online Alzheimer's test. This can help pinpoint an individual's symptoms and stage.

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Can stress cause dementia?

The current evidence indicates that while chronic stress may play a role in the development or progression of dementia, it does not necessarily cause dementia.

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