Understanding Alzheimer’s and Other Dementias

When a loved one receives a dementia diagnosis – including Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, it can feel like the world has shifted under your feet. Watching someone you cherish struggle with memory, communication, and everyday tasks is profoundly heartbreaking, and it’s completely natural to feel overwhelmed, uncertain, and unsure of what the future holds.

To help ease this transition, we’ve put together a guide to understanding dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, including what to expect and how to plan ahead.

At Senior Care Authority, we understand the weight of this moment. While the diagnosis may belong to one person, its impact is shared by family and friends. With years of experience supporting families, we are here to help you navigate this journey with clarity, compassion, and support.

What Is Dementia?

Dementia is an umbrella term used to describe a group of conditions that affect memory, thinking, and behavior, most often in aging adults. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most well-known example. Other types of dementia include vascular dementia (VD), Lewy body dementia (LBD), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and others.

As dementia progresses, it can impair a person’s ability to perform basic tasks. Things that were once routine – paying bills, cooking, driving, remembering names, and even personal hygiene – may become increasingly difficult as the brain struggles to process and organize information.

Symptoms of dementia often include:

• Memory loss that disrupts daily life (especially recent information)
• Challenges in planning or solving problems
• Difficulty completing familiar tasks
• Confusion with time or place
• Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships
• New problems remembering words in speaking or writing
• Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps
• Decreased or poor judgment
• Withdrawal from work or social activities
• Changes in mood and personality (e.g., anxiety, suspicion, apathy)

Find Comfort and Care for Your Loved One

Connect with a trusted, local Senior Care Authority advisor near where you need care for a FREE consultation.

Get Started Today

×

Ready to Get Started?

"*" indicates required fields

Δ

Email

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

First Name*

Last Name*

Phone*

Email*

Connect with a Local Advisor where you’re seeking care*

This field is hidden when viewing the form

Address

City Select a StateAlabamaAlaskaAmerican SamoaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaFloridaGeorgiaGuamHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaNorthern Mariana IslandsOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaPuerto RicoRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahU.S. Virgin IslandsVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyomingArmed Forces AmericasArmed Forces EuropeArmed Forces Pacific State ZIP Code

How can we help?

Disclaimer

By checking this box and providing your mobile phone number and email address, you explicitly consent to receive customer care and marketing emails and SMS/text messages from Senior Care Authority LLC, including messages sent via autodialer, at the number and email address provided. These messages may include responses to your inquiries about finding a senior care advisor, assisted living facilities, franchise opportunities, or other relevant services and promotional offers. Consent is not a condition of purchase. Message and data rates may apply. Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages. Message frequency varies.

Close Window

What Is Alzheimer’s Disease?

AD is the most common type of dementia. It’s also the sixth highest cause of death in seniors. It is estimated that approximately 70-80% of people in the United States with dementia symptoms have AD.

Here’s how Alzheimer’s can differ from other forms of dementia:

• Primary Onset: In AD, the first symptom is almost always short-term memory loss. In Non-AD dementias (FTD, Lewy Body), the first symptoms are often behavioral changes, language problems, or movement issues.
• Progression: AD has a slow, gradual, and steady decline. Non-AD dementias can have a sharper, more sudden decline (VD) or rapid fluctuations in alertness (LBD).
• Hallucinations: In AD, vivid visual hallucinations are rare in the early stages. In some other types, they can be an earlier symptom.
• Motor Symptoms: In AD, problems with walking or stiffness are rare early on. In LBD, for example, early motor symptoms (shuffling gait, tremors) might be more prominent.
• Personality Changes: In AD, early personality changes are usually limited to apathy and anxiety. In FTD, changes in social behavior, lack of impulse control and judgment are a primary early sign.

Is It Always Dementia?

Not necessarily.

While dementia is common among aging adults, occasional forgetfulness, confusion, or irritability does not automatically mean someone has dementia or Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is frequently seen in older adults and may involve noticeable changes in memory or thinking without significantly interfering with daily life. MCI may or may not be a precursor to more significant cognitive decline.

It’s important not to attempt to diagnose these conditions on your own. This summary is not a substitute for a comprehensive assessment from a medical professional, preferably a neurologist, geriatric psychiatrist, or geriatrician.

Many symptoms associated with dementia and Alzheimer’s mirror those of less serious conditions. Particularly in older adults, depression can sometimes be misdiagnosed as dementia. Certain nutritional deficiencies, temporary conditions such as delirium, urinary tract infections, lack of sleep, and even extreme isolation and loneliness, can also present dementia-like symptoms.

How Do We Help Seniors with Alzheimer’s and Other Types of Dementias?

Now that you have a deeper understanding of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, the crucial next step is finding the right compassionate guidance for your loved one’s evolving needs.

The experienced senior care experts at Senior Care Authority are dedicated to helping you navigate this transition with confidence. Our advisors are Certified Dementia Practitioners (CDP) and Certified Senior Advisors (CSA), ensuring we bring a depth of knowledge to challenging situations. While we do not provide medical diagnoses, our expertise lies in evaluating cognitive change and definitively helping you create a personalized plan of action for care. We can help you find the appropriate providers and resources to support you in creating and implementing your plan. Dementia is hard on everyone in the family. We recognize this and understand the challenges you may be experiencing. Let us help you so you don’t have to do it alone.

Ready to connect with care providers who specialize in senior care and memory support? Reach out to us today, and let us provide the expertise, compassion, and clarity you need to make the right choice for your family.