What is Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia?

Alzheimer's is a progressive and fatal disease that destroys brain cells, causing problems with memory, thinking and behaviour that get worse over time. It was first identified by Dr. Alois Alzheimer in 1906, who described two of the major physical consequences of the disease: plaques, which are tiny dense deposits scattered throughout the brain which become toxic to brain cells at high levels, and tangles, which interfere with vital processes by physically choking off living cells. Over the course of Alzheimer's disease, the brain actually shrinks in places as brain cells increasingly degenerate and die.

Alzheimer's is not a normal part of aging. In its early stages, Alzheimer's can cause forgetfulness severe enough to affect a person's ability to function at home, at work, and even in lifelong pastimes and hobbies. Some other symptoms of the disease include confusion, misplacing things, trouble finding words and putting together sentences, and even getting lost in familiar places.

The Alzheimer's Association in the U.S. has put together a helpful chart to distinguish the differences between normal, age-related forgetfulness and the type of memory change associated with Alzheimer's disease.

What’s the difference?

Someone with Alzheimer’s symptoms	Someone with normal, age-related memory changes
Forgets whole experiences	Forgets part of an experience
Rarely remembers later	Often remembers later
Is gradually unable to follow written/ spoken directions	Is usually able to follow written/spoken directions
Is gradually unable to use notes	Is usually able to use notes
Is gradually unable to care for self	Is usually able to care for self