Whats the difference between dementia and Alzheimers and why is there so much confusion?
It’s a common question, and doctors are some of the best at confusing the public. Physicians sometimes prefer the word “dementia”, possibly because Alzheimer’s has become such a loaded word. “Dementia” somehow sounds less frightening to many people, and now even the experts have started using the words interchangeably. Distinguishing the difference between other types of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease 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. Remember, the main difference between dementia and Alzheimer’s is that Alzheimer’s is a specific disease and dementia is a symptom of Alzheimer’s.
