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 function and judgment, can 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 or 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.