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Dementia

Dementia is a general term that refers to a decline in how your brain constructs and processes information. Dementia is a terminal and degenerative condition and decline is often slow.

Image of a tree in the shape of a human head silhouette with a flock of birds flying off into the distance representing escaping thoughts.

There are several types of dementia and each type is a little different. Alzheimer's disease is the most common and well-known type of dementia.

While we are beginning to tackle the stigma of dementia by learning how to live well with the disease, dementia is a condition that interferes with a person's daily life and activities. Dementia can affect memory and thinking, how a person communicates, how their brain makes sense of what they see, their ability to problem-solve and care for themselves, and the ability to focus and pay attention.

While dementia is more common as people grow older (up to half of all people age 85 or older may have some form or degree of dementia), it is NOT a normal part of aging. Many people live into their 90s and beyond without any signs of dementia.