About Alzheimer's Disease and Other Types of Dementia

Dementia is the loss of intellectual functions (thinking, remembering, and reasoning) severe enough to interfere with everyday life. There at least 60 different causes or types of dementia — a group of conditions that all gradually destroy brain cells and lead to progressive decline in mental function.

Because Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia, we often use "Alzheimer's" and "dementia" interchangeably. It is important to note that the New Alzheimer's Center will care for patients and families who are dealing with any kind of dementia.

What is Alzheimer's disease?
Alzheimer’s disease usually begins gradually, causing a person to forget recent events and to have difficulty performing familiar tasks. Yet Alzheimer’s is much more serious than memory loss. Alzheimer’s is a fatal disease. People live an average of 8 years after diagnosis, but may survive anywhere from 3 to 20 years. The disease begins with the destruction of cells in regions of the brain that are important for memory. However, the eventual loss of cells in other areas of the brain leads to the failure of other essential systems in the body.

How common is Alzheimer’s disease?
Alzheimer’s disease affects one in 10 people over 65 years old and nearly half of those 85 or older. An estimated 4.5 million Americans have the disease. In Humboldt County, as many as 2,400 people may currently have Alzheimer’s disease.

Isn’t memory loss a natural part of aging?
Yes and no. Everyone has forgotten where they parked the car or the name of an acquaintance at one time or another. And many healthy individuals are less able to remember certain kinds of information as they grow older.

The symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease are much more severe than such simple memory lapses. Over time, the disease causes confusion, personality and behavior changes, and impaired judgment. Alzheimer’s also affects people’s ability to communicate and perform basic self-care tasks. Eventually it impairs even the most fundamental abilities such as speaking, swallowing, walking—even smiling. Ultimately, people with Alzheimer’s become totally unable to care for themselves.

What causes Alzheimer’s disease?
Scientists are still not certain. Research suggests that the central problem is malfunction and death of nerve cells, but scientists are still working to learn why this happens.

What are the risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease?
The strongest evidence points to age and family history. Increasing age is the greatest known factor for Alzheimer’s. It strikes individuals from every economic, ethnic and cultural group.

How is Alzheimer’s disease diagnosed?
There is no single diagnostic test. Alzheimer’s disease is diagnosed through the process of elimination to rule out other diseases and conditions that can also cause dementia.

What treatment is available?
There is no medical treatment at this time to cure Alzheimer’s disease. There are drugs available that may temporarily improve symptoms or slow the progression of the disease. Medications are also available to reduce some of the behavioral symptoms associated with Alzheimer’s, such as depression, sleeplessness and agitation.

What else can be done?
While there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, proper care and support can improve quality of life for patients and families from the initial diagnosis to the disease’s final stages. The New Alzheimer’s Center will offer a therapeutic day care program for people with Alzheimer’s disease that is designed to minimize clients’ confusion and anxiety, maximize remaining abilities and foster independence.

For family members and caregivers, in addition to respite care, the New Alzheimer’s Center will provide one-to-one and family counseling, support groups, educational seminars, information on current research, a resource library, and referrals to local medical and professional caregivers.

Adapted with permission from “An Overview of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias” by the Alzheimer’s Association.