Clear answers about dementia and caregiving
Practical help for the day to day, and plain explanations of the medical side. Every article is written for families and backed by trusted sources.
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Understanding dementia
What dementia is, its types, and what causes it.
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Symptoms, early signs & diagnosis
Spotting early signs and how dementia is diagnosed.
5 articles
Genetics & risk
Family history, inherited risk, and what you can control.
3 articles
Stages, progression & life expectancy
How dementia progresses and what to expect over time.
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Prevention & brain health
What the evidence says about reducing risk.
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Caregiving & daily life
Practical, lived-experience help for day-to-day care.
8 articlesUnderstanding dementia
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Is dementia the same as Alzheimer's?
No. Dementia is an umbrella term for symptoms like memory loss and confusion that interfere with daily life. Alzheimer's is a specific brain disease, and the most common cause of dementia, behind an estimated 60 to 80 percent of cases. All Alzheimer's is dementia, but not all dementia is Alzheimer's.
What are the main types of dementia?
The four most common types are Alzheimer's disease, which is by far the most common, then vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, and frontotemporal dementia. Each comes from different changes in the brain and can bring different early symptoms, and a person can have more than one at the same time.
What causes dementia?
Dementia happens when disease damages nerve cells in the brain so it can no longer work properly. Different diseases cause different types. In Alzheimer's, amyloid and tau proteins build up, and vascular dementia follows reduced blood flow. Age is the biggest risk factor, not a normal part of aging.
What is dementia?
Dementia is not one disease but a group of symptoms, memory loss, confusion, and trouble with thinking and everyday tasks, caused by diseases that damage the brain. It is severe enough to affect daily life, it is not a normal part of aging, and Alzheimer's is its most common cause.