Alzheimer’s vs Dementia: What’s the Difference?

The term “dementia” is a general one for a decline in mental abilities that’s significant enough to affect everyday life. Dementia is not an actual disease. With dementia, memory, reasoning, or other thinking skills are affected.

Dementia isn’t a normal part of aging; it’s caused by damage to brain cells which affects their ability to communicate. This, in turn, affects the thinking, behavior, and feelings of the person with the condition. A person with dementia might have issues with memory, confusion, concentration, behavior, personality, apathy, withdrawal, or even depression. The person might also lose their ability to do everyday tasks. If someone you know has such issues, you should go see a doctor about it.

Alzheimer’s is actually a cause of dementia and the most common cause by far. Alzheimer’s is an actual disease. It’s a degenerative brain disease which means it worsens over time. Most people with Alzheimer’s are 65 years old and above, but hundreds of thousands of Americans under 65 experience younger-onset Alzheimer’s.

The most common early warning sign of Alzheimer’s is difficulty remembering new information, and this is because the disease initially affects the part of the brain associated with learning. When the disease advances, symptoms get more severe and the signs may become more obvious. You might notice disorientation, confusion, and behavior changes, and later in the advancement of the disease, you may even notice issues with speaking, swallowing, or walking.

If you’re noticing any of the symptoms we mentioned, you absolutely should see a professional like ours here at the office of Dr. Pedro Ylisastigui MD. Alzheimer’s worsens and can severely and permanently affect a patient’s life.

It’s very unfortunate that there’s no way to prevent, cure, or even slow Alzheimer’s disease, but there are still ways of helping a patient cope and live more normally. There are ways to help someone with dementia too.

There are some drug and non-drug options for treating and managing a patient’s symptoms. Certain medications can help with memory, there are treatments for behavior, and there are ways to help a patient sleep better. Also, some alternative treatments may help, but it’s important to speak with a professional about them and the other treatments we’ve mentioned.

At the office of Dr. Pedro Ylisastigui MD, we can help. We can provide certain treatments as well as dietary advice, lifestyle advice, medication management services, and when necessary, referrals to see a specialist.

Yes, we do! We are conveniently located at 1150 Lee Blvd. #4 Lehigh Acres, FL 33936. Connect with our clinic today or book a consultation with us online if you believe someone you know may have dementia or Alzheimer’s. There’s a lot we can do to help. We serve patients from Fort Myers FL, Lehigh Acres FL, Gateway FL, Alva FL, Buckingham FL, Tice FL, Villas FL, Cape Coral FL, Matlacha FL, and Suncoast Estates FL.

We look forward to hearing from you soon here at the office of Dr. Pedro Ylisastigui MD!