What’s the difference between Alzheimer’s and dementia?
Dementia is a condition that affects the way your brain works. This can include changes to your memory, thinking, and language. The most common cause of dementia in the UK is Alzheimer’s disease. Here I’ll explain more about dementia and Alzheimer’s, and what’s meant by both terms.
What is dementia?
The word ‘dementia’ doesn’t refer to one specific condition. Instead, it describes the symptoms that are caused by a decline in your brain function. This means – your brain isn’t working as well as it used to. These symptoms can include problems with thinking and reasoning, as well as behaviour changes and memory problems.
Dementia isn’t the same as the typical forgetfulness that often comes with ageing, but it is more common in older people. Over 900,000 people live with dementia in the UK. Dementia can be caused by a lot of different conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease.
What is Alzheimer’s disease?
Alzheimer’s disease affects your nerve cells (also called neurons). Your nerve cells act as messengers within your brain. They also help to pass messaged between your brain and the rest of your body. When the connections between these cells are damaged by Alzheimer’s it causes problems with the way you think, plan, reason, and remember.
Although Alzheimer’s disease is a cause of dementia, you’ll often hear it referred to as a type or form of dementia.
What are the symptoms of dementia?
Everybody with dementia will experience symptoms differently. It also depends on what is causing the dementia. Most dementia symptoms fall into three categories.
- Difficulties with remembering, thinking and language. For example, being forgetful, repeating questions, struggling to remember words and conversations, or becoming disorientated.
- Difficulties completing daily activities. For example, struggling to take care of yourself or your home, or getting lost in familiar places.
- Emotional problems and changes in behaviour. For example, becoming withdrawn, low or anxious, being restless and having trouble sleeping.
Sometimes people with Alzheimer’s struggle to communicate how they’re feeling because of the changes to their brain. This means they might get upset or act aggressively if they feel scared or confused.
What are the symptoms of Alzheimer’s?
If you have Alzheimer’s, the first noticeable symptom is often problems with your memory. You might also lose interest in your favourite activities or hobbies. Other early symptoms can include finding it difficult to do daily tasks. You may also be feeling more irritable than usual.
Alzheimer’s tends to develop gradually. Over time your symptoms tend to get worse, and new ones may appear.
As time goes on, you may get more confused, and struggle to plan and follow instructions. In the later stages of Alzheimer’s, more serious symptoms can appear. You may have hallucinations, trouble swallowing and difficulty moving around.
Are there treatments for Alzheimer’s and dementia?
There are some non-medical treatment options, which can help you live well with dementia. These include emotional support and activities to support your physical and mental health, such as talking therapies and regular exercise.
There are also medications you can take for some causes of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. The aim of treatment is to help your brain function. They can help you live independently and manage your symptoms. Talk to your doctor about what’s available.
Current treatments can slow the progress of Alzheimer’s disease. But they won’t stop it completely or reverse its effects. It’s also important to know that treatment doesn’t work for everyone.
Can I reduce my risk of dementia?
There are a few factors than can affect how likely you are to get dementia. Some of these are things you can’t change, such as getting older or your inherited risk. Alzheimer’s disease is also more common in women.
But the good news is that there are some things you can do to reduce your risk. These include:
- eating a healthy balanced diet
- getting regular exercise
- avoiding alcohol, or only drinking in moderation
- not smoking, or giving up if you do
Long-term conditions can also increase your risk. If you have health conditions such as diabetes, heart problems, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure, try to manage these. Speak to your doctor if you’re not sure how to do this. Looking after your health from a younger age can help reduce your risk of dementia in later life.
Some evidence suggests that staying mentally and socially active in later life can lower your risk of developing dementia. Learning new things and keeping your brain active can help your brain become resistant to damage, also known as ‘cognitive reserve’. More research into this is needed. But doing activities to stimulate your brain and staying socially connected could help reduce your risk.
Are you aged over 65 and wondering about your health and wellbeing? Bupa's Mature Health assessment gives an insight into your current health, as well future health risks for conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and certain types of cancer. We also offer a year of ongoing support, with nurses on hand all day every day with our Anytime HealthLine to help you meet your health goals.
-
Sources Sources
- Dementia. World Health Organization. who.int, reviewed March 2023
- Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer’s Society. alzheimers.org.uk, accessed 6 November 2024
- What is dementia? Dementia UK. dementia.org, published March 2023
- Alzheimer’s disease. Dementia UK. dementia.org, published March 2023
- Symptoms of dementia. Alzheimer’s Society. alzheimers.org.uk, accessed 6 November 2024
- What causes changes in behaviour in people with dementia? Alzheimer’s Society. alzheimers.org.uk, accessed 6 November 2024
- Symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer’s Society. alzheimers.org.uk, accessed 6 November 2024
- Mental and physical abilities in the later stages. Alzheimer’s Society. alzheimers.org.uk, accessed 6 November 2024
- How physical and sensory difficulties can affect eating. Alzheimer’s Society. alzheimers.org.uk, accessed 6 November 2024
- Treatments for dementia. Alzheimer’s Society. alzheimers.org.uk, accessed 6 November 2024
- Dementia. British National Formulary. bnf.nice.org.uk, updated June 2018
- Can dementia be prevented? Alzheimer’s Society. alzheimers.org.uk, accessed 6 November 2024
- Alzheimer’s disease – epidemiology. BMJ Best Practice. bestpractice.bmj.com, accessed 6 November 2024
About our health information
At Bupa we produce a wealth of free health information for you and your family. This is because we believe that trustworthy information is essential in helping you make better decisions about your health and wellbeing.
Our information has been awarded the PIF TICK for trustworthy health information. It also follows the principles of the The Information Standard.
Did you find our advice helpful?
We’d love to hear what you think. Our short survey takes just a few minutes to complete and helps us to keep improving our healthy lifestyle articles.
Legal disclaimer
This information was published by Bupa's Health Content Team and is based on reputable sources of medical evidence. It has been reviewed by appropriate medical or clinical professionals and deemed accurate on the date of review. Photos are only for illustrative purposes and do not reflect every presentation of a condition.
Any information about a treatment or procedure is generic, and does not necessarily describe that treatment or procedure as delivered by Bupa or its associated providers.
The information contained on this page and in any third party websites referred to on this page is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice nor is it intended to be for medical diagnosis or treatment. Third party websites are not owned or controlled by Bupa and any individual may be able to access and post messages on them. Bupa is not responsible for the content or availability of these third party websites. We do not accept advertising on this page.
