The Facts
Dementia is a gradual decline of mental ability that affects your intellectual and social skills to the point where daily life becomes difficult. Dementia can affect your memory and your decision-making ability, can impair your judgment and make you feel disoriented, and may also affect your personality.
Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia and affects about 5% of people over age 65. It occurs more often with advancing age, affecting 20% to 25% of people over the age of 80. About 5% to 10% of dementia is vascular dementia, also known as dementia caused by stroke. An additional 10% of cases of dementia are due to a combination of Alzheimer's disease and multiple strokes.
Dementia isn't an acute condition that suddenly appears, and it usually does not require emergency treatment.
Dementia isn't an acute condition that suddenly appears, and it usually does
not require emergency treatment.