Some people with Alzheimer’s-like symptoms are diagnosed with something called Vascular dementia. It presents itself very similarly to Alzheimer’s, so if your loved one has this disease or you know someone who does, you’ll find these emails helpful – the caregiving techniques are the same for both ailments.

Vascular Dementia is often said to follow a stair step-pattern of decline, as compared to Alzheimer’s disease, which follows a gradual slope. The biggest difference between Vascular Dementia and Alzheimer’s is what is causing the symptoms for which the diagnosis is given. That being said, regardless of what is causing the symptoms, what the person has is a regressive, degenerative brain disease.

Alzheimer’s disease is caused by plaques and tangles in the brain that cause brain cell degeneration. Vascular Dementia is a combination of circulatory issues, primarily referenced as strokes. You can find more specific information on both of these subjects on www.WebMD.com.

So, how do you know which one your loved one with memory problems has, if they have not yet been diagnosed? A complete exam should be used, which may require a neurological scan. The diagnosis is made by “ruling out” symptoms, and is considered to be in the 90 percentile for accuracy. The only totally accurate test for Alzheimer’s is during an autopsy.

“Dementia” is the term we use to describe the symptoms of brain cell corruption. Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of the symptoms of dementia, and vascular dementia is the second most common cause. It is possible for a person to have both. Usually the course of Alzheimer’s disease is slow and one must look back over a period of time to see evidence of significant change.

A person with Vascular Dementia will stay essentially the same until they have some form of vascular incident and then they can deteriorate quite rapidly. Regardless of what we call the symptoms, support groups, many medications, and just about all of the caregiver strategies and tools we talk about work for everyone with dementia.