What is demetia?

Dementia is a progressive decline in metal function that slowly impairs reasoning ability, memory, judgment and the ability to learn. One of the most common forms of dementia is known as Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's accounts for about 65% of all dementias. Some of the various dementias, like Alzheimer's, have unknown causes.

The two other most common forms of dementia are Lewy Body Dementia and Vascular Dementia. Lewy Body dementia differs from Alzheimer's both in the physical manifestations of the disease and in progression. In Lewy Body Dementia, the individual develops abnormal brain cell structures, similar to those in Parkinson's Disease, but occurring throughout the brain. The disease is characterized by complex and detailed visual and auditory hallucinations.

Vascular Dementia is caused by damage to the blood vessels to the brain. It can occur due to strokes, heart attacks, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Smoking also increases the risk of Vascular Dementia.

In all of these diseases, there is a need to help the sufferer make provisions for care and for taking care of his or her estate before the disease progresses to the point where the person becomes unable to make their own decisions.

In future posts, I will discuss the issues that arise as a result of these long term, slow acting diseases.