What is Dementia?

  • Dementia is a loss of cognitive ability that is severe enough to interfere with daily life.
  • Dementia is a descriptive term for a collection of symptoms that can be caused by a number of disorders that affect the brain.
  • Dementia could be:
    • Static: result of a unique global brain injury.
    • Progressive: resulting in long term decline due to damage or disease in the body.

The Impact and Diagnosis of Dementia

  • People with dementia have significantly impaired intellectual functioning that interferes with normal activities and relationships.
  • They lose their ability to solve problems and maintain emotional control. They may also experience personality changes and behavioral problems such as agitation, delusions, and hallucinations.
  • Doctors diagnose dementia only if there is a decline in memory coupled with a decline in one or more of the following brain functions – language skills, motor skills, abstract thinking, perception, or cognitive skills, including reasoning and judgment.

The Cost of Dementia

  • The total estimated global cost of dementia is now above $1.3 trillion dollars and is expected to rise to $2.8 by 2023.*
  • This means that if global dementia care were a country, it would be the 18th largest economy in the world. The annual costs exceed the market values of companies such as Apple ($742 billion) and Google ($368 billion).
  • The real cost:
    • Loss of loved ones
    • Loss of an entire generation of wisdom
    • Loss of precious memories

*This figure includes costs attributed to informal care (unpaid care provided by family and others), direct costs of social care (provided by community care professionals, and in residential home settings) and the direct costs of medical care (the costs of treating dementia and other conditions in primary and secondary care).

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The Types of Dementia

Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer's Disease

  • Most common type of dementia found in people aged 65 or older.
  • 1 in 9 people age 65 and older has Alzheimer’s disease (11%).
  • 5.2 million Americans are estimated to have Alzheimer’s.
  • By 2025, over 7.1 million Americans will have Alzheimer’s.
  • Every 68 seconds, someone in the United States develops Alzheimer’s.
  • Alzheimer’s disease usually causes a gradual decline in thinking abilities, usually during a span of 7 to 10 years.
  • In this disease, abnormal protein deposits in the brain destroy cells in the areas of the brain that control memory and mental functions.
  • People with Alzheimer disease also have lower-than-normal levels of brain chemicals called neurotransmitters that control important brain functions. Alzheimer disease is not reversible, and no known cure exists. However, certain medications can slow its progress.

Dementia Vs. Alzheimer’s Disease - Is there a difference?

Dementia is a syndrome that is used to describe an overall group of symptoms that affect a person’s memory, communication, and ability to perform normal daily tasks. Alzheimer’s disease is a specific form of dementia, affecting a specific region of the brain causing impairment in memory and cognitive function.

Staggering Statistics

Helpful Resources to Learn More About Dementia

Clear Thoughts Foundation (“CTF”) is singularly focused on its effort to raise money to fund the discovery of drugs to stop the effects of dementia and eventually end this terrible disease. However, CTF recognizes the devastating effect that dementia has on the families impacted by this disease. Fortunately there are a number of wonderful resources available that we recommend for caregivers and families impacted by dementia to turn to for education and support.

View Resources