A close relative can’t remember what I just told her and has trouble finishing a sentence. A dear friend asks how my day was three times in five minutes even though I already answered. A neighbor frequently calls me to “get those guys out of my house” when there’s no one there.

Many people believe dementia is the same thing as Alzheimer’s disease, but in fact, there are many forms of dementia. They all cause a loss of brain cells and impact life, interfering with daily activities and ultimately incapacitating the sufferer.

Here are five types of dementia.

Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s is the most frequent cause of dementia. Characterized by amyloid plaques and tangles in the brain, the disease process leads to memory loss along with changes in personality and confusion that affect activities of daily living.

Vascular Dementia

This may be the second most common type of dementia and occurs when blood clots block flow to parts of the brain. It can occur after a major stroke or with a series of mini-strokes that clog tiny blood vessels. Forgetfulness, difficulty focusing attention, and confusion are common symptoms. High blood pressure or cholesterol, diabetes, and heart attacks pose risk factors.

Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB)

An abnormal protein known as Lewy bodies can be found inside brain cells in several brain disorders. In addition to other dementia symptoms, people with DLB often experience delusions and hallucinations along with excessive daytime sleepiness. In half the cases, they develop rapid eye movement (REM) sleep disorder and may act out their dreams, sometimes vividly and violently.

Parkinson’s Disease (PD)

PD chiefly affects the area of the brain that controls movement. Symptoms begin with tremors, gait difficulties and lack of balance leading to falls, and other symptoms progressing to impaired speech and dementia.

Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD)

FTD often involves “changes in personality, judgment, planning, and social skills,” and individuals may make “rude or off-color remarks.” Another symptom is “an unusually strong urge to eat” resulting in weight gain. “FTD progresses more quickly than Alzheimer’s disease and tends to occur at a younger age.”

There are other types/causes of dementia, and victims can suffer from more than one type. Many of the variations share symptoms, and they often advance at different rates.

The good news is that medications do exist, and more are being developed all the time. As caregivers, it behooves us to learn all we can and advocate for the best treatment possible for our loved ones.

Alzheimer’s is only one of the many faces of dementia, but any of them can have devastating effects on our families. However, armed with information and with God at our side, we can stare down this fiend and provide compassionate care for our loved ones.

NOTE: Information gathered from Living with Alzheimer’s: A Resource Guide for Families and Caregivers from the Alzheimer’s Association.

For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face:
now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
1 Corinthians 13:12 KJV

Tracy Crump dispenses hope in her award-winning book, Health, Healing, and Wholeness: Devotions of Hope in the Midst of Illness (CrossLink Publishing: 2021). A former intensive care nurse, she cared for her parents and her mother-in-law and understands both the burdens and joys of caregiving. Her devotions have been featured in Guideposts books, The Upper Room, and many other publications, and she has contributed 26 stories to Chicken Soup for the Soul® books. She also conducts writing workshops, produces a newsletter for writers, and does freelance editing. But her most important job is Grandma to five completely unspoiled grandchildren.