The Most Famous Myths About Dementia

Myth: Dementia and Alzheimer’s are the same thing

Most people believe dementia and Alzheimer’s are the same thing, knowing the two are very alike and have similar symptoms. Both conditions affect the ability to think, memory and comprehension, but Alzheimer’s includes other symptoms like depression, confusion, disorientation, difficulty speaking and others.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, “Dementia is an overall term for a particular group of symptoms. The characteristic symptoms of dementia are difficulties with memory, language, problem-solving and other thinking skills that affect a person’s ability to perform everyday activities. Dementia has many causes. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia.”

Myth: Dementia is not a deadly disease

While dementia is often seen as an overwhelming, difficult to handle disease, most people don’t see it as being fatal. However, many studies proved that it can be. People see dementia as a disease linked to memory loss, but it can be more than that. Dementia is also defined as a brain failure than can be deadly in some cases. People who suffer from it are not able to recognize family members, walk on their own or take care of themselves.

According to a 2020 study made on 7,342 patients, researchers came to the conclusion that dementia is indeed, deadly, rather than just a disease that contributes to memory loss. Another study that analyzed patients in a Boston nursing-home for 18 months showed that more than 55% of the patients died in the first 6 months.