GC 2/12/15

Dementia & Alzheimer's Disease

Dementia is a general term for a decline in mental ability severe enough to interfere with daily life. Dementia is an overall term that describes a wide range of symptoms associated with a decline in memory or other thinking skills severe enough to reduce a person's ability to perform everyday activities. Alzheimer's is the most common type of dementia, and it accounts for 60 to 80% of the cases. Symptoms include memory loss, communication and language problems, ability to focus and pay attention and visual perception. The cause of dementia is due to damage to brain cells. There is no cure for the disease; however, there is treatment available to slow the process.