Dementia is a broad term used to describe a group of cognitive disorders characterized by a decline in cognitive function that affects a person’s ability to perform everyday activities. It is not a specific disease itself, but rather an umbrella term that encompasses various conditions resulting from brain damage and neurodegeneration. Dementia is typically progressive and irreversible, and it impacts memory, thinking, behavior, and the ability to carry out daily tasks.

Overview of Dementia: Dementia is a global public health concern, with millions of people worldwide living with this condition. As populations age, the prevalence of dementia is increasing, making it one of the most significant health challenges of the 21st century. The most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease, accounting for 60-70% of cases. Other types of dementia include vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal dementia, and mixed dementia (a combination of two or more types).

Dementia can also be explained as the loss of cognitive functioning — thinking, remembering, and reasoning — to such an extent that it interferes with a person’s daily life and activities. Some people with dementia cannot control their emotions, and their personalities may change. Dementia ranges in severity from the mildest stage, when it is just beginning to affect a person’s functioning, to the most severe stage, when the person must depend completely on others for basic activities of daily living, such as feeding oneself.

Dementia affects millions of people and is more common as people grow older (about one-third of all people age 85 or older may have some form of dementia) but it is not a normal part of aging. Many people live into their 90s and beyond without any signs of dementia.