What is the origin of Dementia AND Alzheimer's?

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They are both separate. I know that dementia is more a symptom, and not just a disorder, they are two different things, and I am wondering what is the origin of both terms? And when they were first used, and who they came from?
We get the word "senile" from a latin word "senex" that means old man.
Dementia is also from the latin word for mind " mensa".

There are many different forms of dementia not associated with Alzheimer's disease which is a progressive organic disease of the brain.

For instance, an elderly person who exhibits dementia may not necessarily have Alzheimer's disease. If he is a lifetime alcoholic, he may have Wernicke -Korsakoff Syndrome resulting in brain damage.  (+ info)

What's the difference between dementia and Alzheimer's disease?

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My late grandfather had dementia, but not Alzheimer's disease.
The Difference Between Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease

by David Roeltgen, MD

One question I am frequently asked is "What is the difference between dementia and Alzheimer's disease?" On one level, the answer to this question is relatively easy and straightforward. Compare the definitions of dementia and Alzheimer's:

Dementia is an impairment of thinking and memory that interferes with a person's ability to do things which he or she previously was able to do.

Alzheimer's disease is the common cause of dementia, and is particularly common in older people. Because it is the most common cause of dementia, Alzheimer's disease is commonly equated with the general term dementia. However, there are many other causes of dementia.

Distinguishing Alzheimer's disease from other causes of dementia is not always as easy and straightforward as defining these terms. In practice, people and their disorders of behavior are far more complex than simple definitions sometimes commonly imply.

Alzheimer's: Microscopic Brain Abnormalities

Alzheimer's disease is a specific form of dementia having very specific microscopic brain abnormalities. However, in typical medical practice, we do not have the ability to see microscopic brain abnormalities.

History and Examination for Alzheimer's

Therefore, distinguishing Alzheimer's disease from other forms of dementia requires a doctor to establish certain background information (the history) and define a patient's abilities (the examination), and then perhaps obtain results from certain tests.

The last step is guided by the results from the first two. Alzheimer's disease is typically a slowly progressive disorder that involves memory for recent information (short-term memory) and one or more other abilities, such as speech and language, personality, decision-making and judgment or awareness and ability to interact with the environment.

A doctor attempting to distinguish Alzheimer's disease from another form of dementia asks questions about these abilities and examines them as well. Additionally, the doctor also asks questions about and examines abilities that are typically not impaired in a patient with Alzheimer's disease. These abilities include, among others, memory for information of long ago (long-term memory), vision, ability to feel things and muscle strength. In doing these things, the doctor is attempting to determine if the pattern of impairments that the patient has are typical or not typical for Alzheimer's disease.

CT Scan or MRI for Alzheimer's

After the history and examination are completed, the doctor will commonly obtain a scan of the brain, using either a CT scan or MRI scan. The scans look at brain large-scale (macroscopic rather than microscopic) structure. (Newer scan types are being developed to begin to examine brain function and microscopic structure. In the future, these are likely to help better diagnose Alzheimer's disease.) Also, the doctor, after the history and physical examination are completed, will commonly obtain certain blood tests. Which blood tests are obtained will depend on the background history and physical examination.  (+ info)

My Mom is 66 she has become stupid and forgetful, is it dementia or Alzheimers?

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My Mother is 66 years. Recently she has become stupid and forgetful, could it be onset of dementia or Alzheimers or is it the normal process of growing old?
You should take her to the doctors as it could be the first signs of both dementia and Alzheimer's. People can develop Alzheimer's as young as 30 though it's rare at that age so I would check with her doctor. There is medication they can give her to slow the progress of the disorder if started quickly.  (+ info)

How do you deal with your mother that has dementia and lives with you.?

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My mother lives with me so I can take care of her. She is unable to drive or manage her bills due to her dementia. The problem is that she argues with me over everything and is always so hateful towards me. Have you ever been in this situation? Do you have any advice for me?
My sister and I cared for our mother with dimensia for seven years, until it had progressed to the point that she required 24 hour supervsion and more skilled nursing care. Eight years ago we had to make the difficult decision to place our mother into a such a fascility, which we put off longer than we probably should have. I do not mean to suggest that this is the right solution for you, because every case of dimensia is unique. Each person with dimensia is unique, as is each family situation, and no one solution will fit each person or family.

A resource that I found helpful in better understanding dimensia was the book "The 36-Hour Day" by Nancy L. Mace. The book covers the basics of what dimesia is, and important aspects of caring for and individual with dimensia.

You may want to consider adult daycare programs/options. This could be a private/publicly run fascility, or a reletive who would be willing to care for your mother for a few hours every week.

Keep in mind that you must take care of yourself in this situation, so that you can take care of your mother. It is not being ungrateful or unkind to get away for a few hours or even a few days. It is recharging your energy reserves.

You may also want to consider joining a support group for caregivers. You are not alone, more and more adult children find themselves caring for parents who are slowly losing a bit of themselves. All the frustration that you experince in caring for her she experiences in not being able to communicate and take care of herself as she used to do.

Be patient, take each day one at a time (some will be good, some bad), and if it won't harm anyone or anything, let her win the argument. It may be that she is just trying to hold on to the pieces of a life that is slowly slipping away.  (+ info)

What does senile dementia, uncomplicated mean?

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I have to write about it and I know what senile dementia is but not what "uncomplicated" means. I thought at first it meant that it was not complicated by any underlying disease or factors, but then I read that dementia is always caused by an underlying diease or condition. So can someone explain what that means? Thanks.
I googled the term, and this is the answer I found on the following site:
http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/public-health/icd/290-319.htm

290.0 Senile dementia, uncomplicated
Senile dementia:
NOS
simple type
Excludes: mild memory disturbances, not amounting to dementia, associated with senile brain disease (310.1) senile dementia with:
delirium or confusion (290.3)
delusional [paranoid] features (290.20)
depressive features (290.21)

Hope this helps; the entire page will probably be more helpful.  (+ info)

Does anyone know of a good chat room that deals with Dementia?

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My Mother is a Dementia patient and I'd like to talk to others who are dealing with a loved one with the disease. Any help with this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
I used to but, I forgot the name of it.
How about querying dementia or alzheimers disease (or related diseases) at WebMD?
Look into groups on the net at MSN, YAHOO, etc..  (+ info)

Do you have to have a statement from the doctor in order to have power of attorney over a dementia patient?

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Mother has dementia. She is married to my step father. He needs to have power of attorney I need to be included as well in the decision making. Mom is 76, step dad veteran age 75. I am an only child.
The Judge may or may not require medical records when determining power of attorney.  (+ info)

Is this a correct research problem? What are the factors that influence agitations in patients with dementia?

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We are assigned to make a nursing research proposal and i made up a research problem regarding patients in a nursing home with dementia. my research problem is What are the factors that influence agitation in a patient with dementia in a nursing home? quantitative research.. am i doing it correctly?
This is a legitimate research question. There are different approaches to performing research, so the next step is come up with the study design. Behavioral research doesn't always lend itself well to hypothesis testing and experiments like chemistry or physics, so this may be more of an observational study where there isn't any experiment - no treatment and control groups. It could be possible to try to intentionally agitate people as an experiment, but this runs into ethical questions. There's good info at the link.  (+ info)

What is a CHEM III ordered for my chart says edema in one place dementia in another?

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Doing my care plans , I'm a nursing student 1st semester, pt has a CHEM III ordered, every 180 days, one place in chart says for edema and other says for senile dementia? Can not find info anywhere? and she does 1:1 conference and asks all surfaces of labs, meds etc... can not find this one however?
There are different chem panels ordered. In the US, the most common are chem 8 (aka BMP) and Chem 12s (aka CMPs). Chem 8's check electrolytes (Sodium, Potassium, Chloride) and kidney function (BUN and Creatinine). CMPs also test liver function tests. There are many reasons to check these tests. For edema, sodium and renal/ liver function is important to check.  (+ info)

Why exactly does an UTI cause dementia like symptoms in geriatric patients, but not in younger patients?

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Why don't younger patients with urinary tract infections suffer from the symptoms of dementia when they have a UTI, but the elderly experience this symptom. Please note, I use "dementia" loosely. I do realize the difference between actually having the psychological disease and merely a symptom from an UTI. I am only using the term to best describe the situation I'm referring. In other words, why do the elderly get "crazy in the head" when they have a UTI, but younger patients do not?
It's name is long and complicated, so I'm not going to bother; When you're a kid, and constantly growing, one of your growth hormones also does double duty in controlling your physiology- in this case, it keeps your brain temp down. Your brain functions optimally at a slightly lower temperature than your body. Now, when you get to the end stages of adolescence, your growth rate slows down as this hormone stops getting dumped in your system in bulk, but it's still there. A different group of hormones take over at controlling all sorts of fun things in your body, including brain temp, As you start getting elderly, howerver, your hormone balance changes again- primary hormones like testosterone and estrogen really get curtailed, as do a whole suite of other hormones. Now, things like resistance to fever and such are really problematic- adults can shrug off a minor fever, and maybe complain about being lightheaded and nauseous. The fossils among us, however, are going to be laid out. They just don't have the chemical wherewithal to fight off fevers like the rest of us, and UTI's give a one-two. They give you a fever, pain, and are attacking your reproductive area. Now you've got fever, pain, and endorphins (fever and pain combined make you dump feel-good chemicals in your bloodstream). The body figures you're in trouble, so you'd best be ready for action. Unfortunately, in the elderly, the chemical storm just makes you loopy and feverish.

Hope that helps. I tried to keep it simple. Chemical physiology is awesome, but like ecology- there's whole levels of interaction.  (+ info)

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