Image is also in my book, When Someone You Know is Living in a Dementia Care Community, by JHU Press.
Depending on who you ask, there are over seventy—or over 100—types of dementia. It’s really confusing, but dementia is just an umbrella term for a group of diseases related to cognitive loss over time. For example, the most common type of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease.
Alzheimer’s
- The big symptom is memory loss
- There are two types of Alzheimer’s: early-onset and later-onset
- Early-onset AD is familial, which means that you are significantly more likely to get it if a first-degree relative has it
- AD can last up to 15 years
Vascular Dementia
- The big symptom is trouble with gait/spatial awareness
- Vascular dementia can be brought on by strokes, cardiovascular issues
- People with Vascular Dementia do not always have memory problems, especially not in the beginning
Dementia with Lewy Bodies
- The big symptoms are hallucinations and fluctuating impairment
- Lewy Body Diseases is actually its own group of diseases, which includes Dementia with Lewy Bodies, Parkinson’s Disease, and Parkinson’s Disease Dementia
Fronto-temporal Lobar Dementia (FTD)
- There are a few types of FTD, so the symptoms vary between things like: speech impairments, movement-related issues, and behavioral issues
- FTD can be diagnosed earlier than most dementias: sometimes it is found in people between the ages of 40 and 60.
