What are the main differences between Vascular Dementia and Alzheimers Disease?
Vascular dementia is caused by narrowing arteries cutting off oxygen supply to the brain cells – proper medication can really help/even improve mental function IF brain cells haven’t been impaired by a stroke. No one yet knows what causes Alzheimer’s, but there are connections to the brain not being able to rid itself of waste materials the same way “normal” brains do and that’s what many of the meds work on. An Alzheimer’s diagnosis is more discouraging because the medications are still all pretty new/experimental and only slow down the progress of the disease, at best. Chances are, with Vascular Dementia, if your family member is able to exercise a little, gets really good nutrition and treatments that clear out arteries, there’s a chance for a better quality of life than with Alzheimer’s. Good for you for caring enough to search out answers!
