Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are perhaps two of the most confusing conditions that exist in the realm of the aging and degenerative diseases in America. While some people may think dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, are one in the same, it’s important to learn how to distinguish the difference between the two. Dementia is used as an umbrella term that describes seven different specifications of the disease. Simply put, Alzheimer’s disease is one of the seven. Alzheimer's disease can be defined as a form of dementia characterized by the gradual loss of several important mental functions.

Although the progression of dementia and Alzheimer’s is gradual in both, often there is an “aha” moment when you can start to determine which condition the patient indeed has. Dementia is the gradual loss of cognitive function. Certain symptoms of dementia include memory impairment, increased language difficulties, decreased motor skills, failure to recognized or identify objects, and disturbance of the ability to plan or think abstractly, according to the American Medical Association. Alzheimer's disease, marked by progressive memory loss in elderly people, is the most common form of dementia. With Alzheimer's, statistics show that the disease can strike a person as early as age 45; while dementia generally takes a hold of a person after age 70.

Multi-Infarct Dementia (MID) is the most confused form of dementia. This condition attacks the blood vessels in the brain, depriving it of oxygen and restricting its cognitive development and function. Symptoms of MID are very similar to that of Alzheimer’s disease, including confusion, problems with short term memory, wandering and getting lost in familiar places, loss of bladder and bowel control, and emotional problems such as laughing or crying during inappropriate times.

Alzheimer’s disease is perhaps the most common cause of dementia in older Americans, and goes beyond just normal forgetfulness. Most people forget where the car keys are, or even where the car is parked. With Alzheimer’s, they forget why they even drove to that destination in the first place. At times, the memory loss can be much more severe and more serious, such as forgetting the names of their children or where they lived for the last decade or two. Certainly, Alzheimer’s disease and all types of dementia require testing to determine the best course of treatment.