Different Types of Dementia

"Dementia is a word that encompasses many conditions, all of which have in common a deterioration of mental functioning." Dr. Donohue

Some characteristics of the various types of dementia include memory loss (although this is not the most prominent feature in most people with Lewy Bodies Dementia), an inability to solve simple problems like balancing a checkbook, becoming lost in familiar places, struggling to express oneself with the right words, the incapacity to deal with unexpected situations.  Personality changes are very common.  Alzheimer's disease is the leading cause of dementia, followed by Lewy Bodies Dementia.  Other types of dementia include Pick's Disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, frontotemporal dementia, vascular dementia, and others.  Each of these dementias has as a characteristic deterioration of cognitive functioning, but that deterioration may look very different from person to person.