Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementia

Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias (ADRD) are defined as the loss of cognitive functioning that include memory loss, reasoning skills, ability perform simple tasks to the degree that significantly impacts the person’s daily life.

Alzheimer’s Disease is a disease that affects the brain and causes dementia. Alzheimer´s Disease is a progressive, neurodegenerative disorder that causes disorientation and behavioral changes, and obstructs memory, thinking, and judgment. Symptoms usually develop slowly and worsen over time. Alzheimer´s Disease is not a normal part of aging. Alzheimer’s Disease is the most common cause of dementia, accounting for 60-80% of cases. It is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States.

In the early stages of Alzheimer´s Disease, memory loss is mild, but in its late-stage, individuals lose the ability to complete daily tasks, carry on a conversation, and respond to their environment. Those with Alzheimer´s disease live an average of eight years after their symptoms become noticeable. However, depending on age and other health conditions, survival can range from four to 20 years.

Dementia

Dementia is a general term for the gradual and progressive decline in mental and physical functions. Dementia can affect various areas of brain function, such as memory, thinking, problem solving, reasoning, communication and attention to the extent that interferes with a person’s daily life and activities. Dementia is more common in individuals 60 years and older. However, it can affect adults of any age. ADRD is an irreversible progressive disorder for which there is no cure.

Alzheimer's Disease is the most common type of dementia.

Other Types of Dementia

Other types of dementia include:

• Vascular Dementia
• Dementia with Lewy Bodies (LBD)
• Mixed Dementia
• Parkinson´s Disease
• Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD)
• Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD)
• Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus
• Huntington´s Disease
• Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome