Dementia

What is Dementia?

Dementia is not a specific disease. It is a descriptive term for a collection of symptoms that can be caused by a number of disorders that affect the brain. People with dementia have significantly impaired intellectual functioning that interferes with normal activities and relationships. They also lose their ability to solve problems and maintain emotional control, and they may experience personality changes and behavioral problems, such as agitation, delusions, and hallucinations. While memory loss is a common symptom of dementia, memory loss by itself does not mean that a person has dementia. Doctors diagnose dementia only if two or more brain functions - such as memory and language skills -- are significantly impaired without loss of consciousness.  Some of the diseases that can cause symptoms of dementia are Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal dementia, Huntington’s disease, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.  Doctors have identified other conditions that can cause dementia or dementia-like symptoms including reactions to medications, metabolic problems and endocrine abnormalities, nutritional deficiencies, infections, poisoning, brain tumors, anoxia or hypoxia (conditions in which the brain’s oxygen supply is either reduced or cut off entirely), and heart and lung problems.  Although it is common in very elderly individuals, dementia is not a normal part of the aging process.

Is there any treatment?

Drugs to specifically treat Alzheimer’s disease and some other progressive dementias are now available.  Although these drugs do not halt the disease or reverse existing brain damage, they can improve symptoms and slow the progression of the disease. This may improve an individual’s quality of life, ease the burden on caregivers, or delay admission to a nursing home. Many researchers are also examining whether these drugs may be useful for treating other types of dementia.  Many people with dementia, particularly those in the early stages, may benefit from practicing tasks designed to improve performance in specific aspects of cognitive functioning. For example, people can sometimes be taught to use memory aids, such as mnemonics, computerized recall devices, or note taking.

What is the prognosis?

There are many disorders that can cause dementia. Some, such as Alzheimer’s disease or Huntington’s disease, lead to a progressive loss of mental functions. But other types of dementia can be halted or reversed with appropriate treatment. People with moderate or advanced dementia typically need round-the-clock care and supervision to prevent them from harming themselves or others. They also may need assistance with daily activities such as eating, bathing, and dressing.

What research is being done?

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and other institutes of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) conduct research related to dementia in laboratories at the NIH and also support additional dementia research through grants to major medical institutions across the country.  Current research focuses on many different aspects of dementia. This research promises to improve the lives of people affected by the dementias and may eventually lead to ways of preventing or curing these disorders.

Organizations

Alzheimer's Disease Education and Referral Center (ADEAR) P.O. Box 8250 Silver Spring, MD   20907-8250 adear@nia.nih.gov http://www.alzheimers.nia.nih.gov Tel: 301-495-3311 800-438-4380 Fax: 301-495-3334	Alzheimer's Association 225 North Michigan Avenue 17th Floor Chicago, IL   60601-7633 info@alz.org http://www.alz.org Tel: 312-335-8700 TDD: 312-335-5886 Fax: 866.699.1246
Alzheimer's Foundation of America 322 Eighth Avenue 6th Floor New York, NY   10001 info@alzfdn.org http://www.alzfdn.org Tel: 866-AFA-8484 (232-8484) Fax: 646-638-1546	John Douglas French Alzheimer's Foundation 11620 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 270 Los Angeles, CA   90025 jdfaf@earthlink.net http://www.jdfaf.org Tel: 310-445-4650 800-477-2243 Fax: 310-479-0516
Association for Frontotemporal Dementias (AFTD) 100 North 17th Street Suite 600 Philadelphia, PA   19103 info@FTD-Picks.org http://www.FTD-Picks.org Tel: 267-514-7221 866-507-7222	National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) P.O. Box 1968 (55 Kenosia Avenue) Danbury, CT   06813-1968 orphan@rarediseases.org http://www.rarediseases.org Tel: 203-744-0100 Voice Mail 800-999-NORD (6673) Fax: 203-798-2291
Family Caregiver Alliance/ National Center on Caregiving 180 Montgomery Street Suite 1100 San Francisco, CA   94104 info@caregiver.org http://www.caregiver.org Tel: 415-434-3388 800-445-8106 Fax: 415-434-3508	C-Mac Informational Services/Caregiver News [For Alzheimer's-Type Dementia Caregivers] 120 Clinton Lane Cookeville, TN   38501-8946 caregiver_cmi@hotmail.com http://www.caregivernews.org
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) National Institutes of Health, DHHS 6001 Executive Blvd. Rm. 8184, MSC 9663 Bethesda, MD   20892-9663 nimhinfo@nih.gov http://www.nimh.nih.gov Tel: 301-443-4513/866-615-NIMH (-6464) 301-443-8431 (TTY) Fax: 301-443-4279	National Family Caregivers Association 10400 Connecticut Avenue Suite 500 Kensington, MD   20895-3944 info@thefamilycaregiver.org http://www.thefamilycaregiver.org Tel: 301-942-6430 800-896-3650 Fax: 301-942-2302
Lewy Body Dementia Association P.O. Box 451429 Atlanta, GA   31145-9429 lbda@lbda.org http://www.lewybodydementia.org Tel: 404-935-6444 800-LEWYSOS (539-9767) Fax: 480-422-5434	Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (formerly, Institute for the Study of Aging) 1414 Avenue of the Americas Suite 1502 New York, NY   10019 hfillit@alzdiscovery.org http://www.alzdiscovery.org Tel: 212-935-2402 Fax: 212-935-2408
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) Foundation Inc. P.O. Box 5312 Akron, OH   44334 help@cjdfoundation.org http://www.cjdfoundation.org Tel: 800-659-1991 Fax: 330-668-2474	CJD Aware! 2527 South Carrollton Ave. New Orleans, LA   70118-3013 cjdaware@iwon.com; info@cjdaware.com http://www.cjdaware.com Tel: 504-861-4627
Well Spouse Association 63 West Main Street Suite H Freehold, NJ   07728 info@wellspouse.org http://www.wellspouse.org Tel: 800-838-0879 732-577-8899 Fax: 732-577-8644	National Respite Network and Resource Center 800 Eastowne Drive Suite 105 Chapel Hill, NC   27514 http://www.archrespite.org Tel: 919-490-5577 x222 Fax: 919-490-4905
American Health Assistance Foundation 22512 Gateway Center Drive Clarksburg, MD   20871 info@ahaf.org http://www.ahaf.org Tel: 301-948-3244 800-437-AHAF (2423) Fax: 301-258-9454	National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization /Natl. Hospice Foundation 1700 Diagonal Road Suite 625 Alexandria, VA   22314 nhpco_info@nhpco.org http://www.nhpco.org Tel: 703-837-1500 Helpline: 800-658-8898 Fax: 703-837-1233