By GARY LEBLANC | Common Sense Caregiving Published: June 28, 2012 Updated: June 28, 2012 - 12:00 AM

I recently had a conversation with a fellow caregiver that is caring for his elderly mother who is suffering from some type of dementia. He told me that her primary physician diagnosed her with "Old Brain." I almost fell out of my chair. What kind of medical diagnosis is that?

Dementia is not a normal part of aging. For example, my own mother is 93 years old and as sharp as a whip! I believe this is the way we are all meant to live out our golden years.

If our loved ones show signs of dementia, something is causing it and if their doctors aren't going to investigate it, I suggest we take them to a neurologist right away. In the case of Alzheimer's Disease, it's the disease that has brought on the symptoms of dementia. (Yes. Dementia is a symptom.)

A good analogy to use when explaining the term dementia is "fever." Fever refers to an elevated temperature, indicating that the person is sick, but it does not explain what is causing the sickness. So, simply stated, dementia is not a disease; it is one of the symptoms of a disease.

Lewy Body Dementia, Parkinson's Disease, Huntington's Disease I could go on and on, but in all cases it's the diseases themselves that have created the symptom of dementia.

The goal of any truly caring doctor is to discover what is causing it, and the sooner the better. There are even some cases such as Vascular Dementia which can be reversed if caught early enough.

Around the age of 60, everyone starts to develop a little brain shrinkage. This may cause some absent mindedness, but this should not necessarily be mistaken for dementia.

Here are a couple of scenarios to consider; we all misplace our keys once in a while, but when we're holding our car keys in our hand and forget what they are for . . . or if we forget something in our bedroom and we walk back in there and don't recognize the room we're standing in, that's concern for dementia!

If you or your loved one are experiencing this symptom, please see a doctor right away. Now, don't let the word "Alzheimer's" be the first thing to pop into your head. There are many probable causes including: vitamin B deficiency, medication side-effects, depression, just to name a few. All avenues should be explored right away.

The rest is here:
Dementia: Not a normal part of aging