WHAT IS DEMENTIA?
It is a syndrome – usually of a chronic or progressive nature – that leads to deterioration in cognitive functioning (i.e. the ability to process thought) beyond what might be expected from the usual consequences of biological ageing.
It affects memory, thinking, orientation, comprehension, calculation, learning capacity, language, and judgement. Consciousness is not affected.
The impairment in cognitive function is commonly accompanied, and occasionally preceded, by changes in mood, emotional control, behaviour, or motivation.
Dementia results from a variety of diseases and injuries that primarily or secondarily affect the brain, such as Alzheimer’s disease or stroke.
Think of it like shortness of breath. Shortness of breath isn’t a condition but is caused by many other factors.