What is Dementia? How is it different than Alzheimer's? I hear this question often. Dementia is an umbrella term, a general term covering many different types of dementia; there are over 75 types. The term dementia refers to a group of symptoms, which may include memory loss, impaired judgement, personality changes. Further testing could further define the type of dementia. Alzheimer's is the most common type of dementia, accounting for about 60% of cases. Other types include lewy body dementia, frontotemporal dementia, dementia from Parkinson's disease or multiple strokes (called multi-infarct dementia). It is helpful to know the type of dementia, as the symptoms and treatment often varies for the different types. I hope this helps to explain the differences. Please share this with friends, family, co-workers. The more everyone begins to understand about dementia, the more understanding, help, and hope we can bring to those affected.