Watching a family member living with dementia or another form of memory loss can be emotional. It can be challenging to see them forget meaningful events, cope with mood swings, and require more assistance. As the disease progresses, they may even have challenges with talking and communicating.

Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease that impacts more than 6 million Americans and causes memory loss, thinking difficulties, and behavior problems. However, many people only associate it with memory loss.

Alzheimer’s disease affects more than 5 million Americans and at least 50 million people worldwide. The majority of Alzheimer’s instances occur in adults 65 and older. Still, a small number of people are diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s—being in their fifties, forties, or even thirties, when diagnosed.

Like many things, forgetfulness is a normal part of aging. As we get older, it’s completely natural and not usually a cause for concern when we misplace our keys, forget someone’s name, or miss an appointment.

Several stereotypes have come to be associated with memory loss: the image of a person who is always confused, wanders alone, gets angry easily, or doesn’t even remember their name. Not only can these stereotypes be untrue, but they can also be hurtful to those living with memory loss and their families.

When it comes to providing the right care for a parent or family member, it’s important to know that cognitive changes in your parents require the same amount of care and attention as physical conditions and illnesses.

Dementia and delirium are both mental states that can severely affect a person’s ability to reason, communicate, or perform basic tasks. Because of the similarities of the two states, delirium can often go undiagnosed and untreated.

If your parent or loved one has a memory impairment, it can be emotionally challenging at times. It is hard to see someone you care deeply about forget cherished memories, or even more difficult, forget who you are.

Dementia is a term used to describe a variety of symptoms that affect a person’s cognitive function, which can impact their ability to communicate, think, reason, remember, and more.

As of 2019, 5.8 million people in the United States alone live with Alzheimer’s disease; most of those are over the age of 65. That may be a shocking statistic, but one that arrives amidst crucial developments regarding Alzheimer’s disease research.

If you have an aging friend or family member, you may want to consider learning more about diseases that affect mental and physical health. In this case, we encourage you to ask ‘What is Alzheimer's disease?’ Alzheimer's disease is a condition that can cause memory loss, mood swings, confusion, and even loss of speech, and is typically seen in older adults 65 years and older.