Are dementia and Alzheimer's the same thing? What is dementia?

Do you want to learn about dementia in under 5 minutes? Are you confused about whether dementia and Alzheimer's are the same? Let me help you understand.
The short answer is no, dementia and Alzheimer's are not the same. Dementia is an umbrella term that refers to cognitive issues that are severe enough to impact your daily life. In other words, when the cognitive decline affects your ability to function mentally at the level you did before. However, if the cognitive decline is not affecting your daily functioning or independence, it is referred to as mild cognitive impairment or mild neurocognitive disorder.
It is important to understand that cognitive ability is not limited to memory alone. While memory is a well-known cognitive function, there are many other domains that play a crucial role in our daily lives. These include executive function, which involves the ability to plan and execute a multi-step process.
Other domains are language, attention, social cognition, and visual-spatial function, which is the ability to navigate and orient oneself in a three-dimensional space.
If any of these cognitive domains are impaired and affecting your daily functioning, it may be considered as a form of dementia.
It is important to understand that various other conditions can impact your cognitive abilities, which are not necessarily considered dementia. One of the most crucial and common factors is medication side effects. Therefore, it is recommended that you consult with your doctor and have your medication list reviewed as the first step. Other reversible causes of cognitive impairment include depression, sleep disorders, metabolic disorders, particularly hypothyroidism, focal seizures, and vitamin B12 deficiency, among others.
What is dementia? Do I have dementia or just “forgetful”?
• What is dementia? Do I...
Dr. Z
Luis E. Zayas, MD PT
Clinical Assistant Professor-University of Tennessee
Board Certified Internist & Neurologist
Fellowship trained in Movement Disorders and Neuro-Critical Care
Former NJ & PR physical therapist
DISCLAIMER:
*These videos are for education only and are not to be construed as personalized medical advice, and the content here does not constitute a patient-doctor relationship. Consult your own physician for any medical issues.