The Irving area includes many facilities for dementia care. As loved ones get older and require additional care to live safely and happily, many families find themselves looking for a long-term care facility. When a loved has a form of dementia, the need to find a specialized care facility is critical. I understand the challenges. As owner of Senior Living Specialists, serving Irving and the entire DFW area, I was faced with this same issue in 2008 when my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. That experience inspired me to create a FREE service to help other families. Contact me today to get your free guide.

Is There a Difference between Alzheimer’s and Dementia?

Having a loved one diagnosed with a serious illness can be overwhelming. Many people with older loved ones wonder about the difference between Alzheimer’s and dementia. The most important distinction is that the term dementia refers to a set of symptoms, not a specific disease. Dementia symptoms often include things like language difficulty or loss of recent memory or poor judgment. These symptoms, when they interfere with day-to-day life, can characterize someone as having dementia. People with severe dementia may have one of many diseases, including Alzheimer’s, Vascular dementia, Parkinson’s disease, dementia with Lewy Bodies and Frontotemporal dementia.

Doctors can make a more specific diagnosis through blood tests, a mental status evaluation, neuropsychological testing, and sometimes a brain scan. Alzheimer’s disease accounts for 60-70 percent of cases of dementia. In the early stages of a dementia related disease, there can be some clear differences that help doctors reach a diagnosis. However, as each specific disease advances, more parts of the brain become affected, making it more difficult to notice the differences between them. The bottom line is this: all people with Alzheimer’s have dementia, but not all people with dementia have Alzheimer’s. Any form of dementia can be difficult to manage and likely requires specialized long-term care.

Choose Senior Living Specialists for Irving Dementia Care Facilities

Senior Living Specialists is locally owned and operated, serving the greater metro area of Dallas and Fort Worth, including Irving, Frisco, Arlington, McKinney and Plano. If there are any questions on how we can help your family find the best dementia care facility in Frisco, then please contact me (Paul) by email at paul@seniorlivingspecialists.com or by phone at 214.929.5055.  Remember, there is no cost to families for our services. Senior Living Specialists is a non-biased third party service compensated by referral fees from facilities.