What is the difference between senility and alzheimers?

There is still no real test for alzheimers dementia, except an autopsy. The diseased brain is characterizes by tangled protein threads and clumping (plaques). I had a friend who told me her Mother in Law had Alzheimers, but it turned out to be Creutzfeldt-Jakobs disease (bad spelling I am sure) Alzheimers can be delayed in onset if caught in its early stages, but not cured. People who want to avoid alzheimers as they age should take pains to stay mentally stimulated, learn new things, challenge their brains. Some research indicates that regular doses of NSAIDS and or some statins may have protective effects on the brain, as they reduce inflammation.

The number and ages of your kids . hehehehhee

Here are some sites that may shed some light for you on the subject. They may also help better understand the condition, how it begins and progresses. http://www.alzinfo.org/?gclid=CNvby4bLhIkCFR1EWAodzVOX_w http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dementia http://www.aafp.org/afp/981200ap/olsen.html It appears that senile dementia is a condition which relates to circulation and oxygenation of the brain, whereas Alzheimers is a condition of the brain, ie; actual changes in the brain tissues. Both have symptoms that are much the same, forgetfulness, long term memory more intact than short term, (I mean really long term), and psychartric symptoms such as unusual behaviors.

There is a pretty big difference in the sense that people who are just a little senile might forget where they put something, what day it is, littl ethings like that and people with alzheimers can forget who they are, who you are, ect. My ex's mother had alzheimers and half the time she didn't know who her family was, what she was doing, anything. She and her husband had problems before they went into a nursing facility because she would forget who he was and freak out because a strange man was in her house. In my opinion that is a world of difference than forgetting where your glasses are :(

senility is a GENERAL TERM for a variety of organic disorder, both physical and mental, occuring in old age. alzheimer's disease is a progressive degenerative disease of the brain that causes impairment of memory and dementia manifested by confusion, visual-spatial disorientation, inability to calculate, and deterioration of judgment; delusions and hallucinations may occur. so basically speaking alzheimer's is also part of senility because it is a mental disorder

one is self-controllable and have a natural brain while the other one has a phisical wrong and need medical help.

I am not a doctor, but I will tell you my views on the subject. Senility is a state of mind, it comes with aging. Not all elderly become senile. Alzheimers is an actual desease. The patient does become senile and forgetful, even to where they forget who they are. It is such a sad desease that robs them of their identity.

well i am not sure, about the difference but they seem to be the same.

Dementia is a decline of reasoning, memory, and other mental abilities (the cognitive functions). This decline eventually impairs the ability to carry out everyday activities such as driving; household chores; and even personal care such as bathing, dressing, and feeding (often called activities of daily living, or ADLs). Dementia is most common in elderly people; it used to be called senility and was considered a normal part of aging. We now know that dementia is not a normal part of aging but is caused by a number of underlying medical conditions that can occur in both elderly and younger persons. In some cases, dementia can be reversed with proper medical treatment. In others, it is permanent and usually gets worse over time. Alzheimer's disease is a progressive condition that affects areas of the brain involved in memory, intelligence, judgment, language, and behavior. It is the most common form of mental decline, or dementia, in older adults. Alzheimer's disease is more severe than the mild memory loss that many people experience as they grow older. Alzheimer's disease also affects behavior, personality, the ability to think clearly, and the ability to carry out daily activities. Close family members usually notice symptoms first, although the person affected also may realize that something is wrong.

The term "Alzheimer’s" is rapidly being used by the general public to refer to any elderly person suffering from dementia. Everyone who suffers from Alzheimer's disease has dementia. However, not everyone with dementia has Alzheimer's disease. Dementia may be caused by several other diseases. Possible Alzheimer’s and Related Disorders includes Alzheimer’s disease and the less well known dementia causing disorders of Vascular dementia (formally called multi-infarct dementia), Parkinson's dementia, Symptomatic Hydrocephalic, Korsakoff’s Syndrome, Pick’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and Spongiform Encephalopathy. Since the disease can only be positively diagnosed after removing some brain tissue (ouch!) the more correct terms are probable/possible Alzheimer's disease (pAD) or Dementia of Alzheimer's Type (DAT). While, a bit picky, it is important for search planners to understand the distinction. On some searches the caregiver emphatically stated the lost subject "does not have Alzheimer’s disease." Yet instead, the lost subject suffered from Vascular dementia or Parkinson's dementia. Both of which may be equally severe. At this time, it appears the nature of wandering, from a search perspective, is the same for all the Alzheimer’s and Related Diseases.

A doctor told me it is the same thing. Senile they said seemed like such a cruel word that they changed it to alzheimers. my grandfather also suffered from alzheimers or went senile.

Alzheimer's disease is a condition that causes progressive deterioration of brain functions. Symptoms include the gradual loss of memory, reason, language and the ability to care for oneself. In order to understand what Alzheimer's disease is and is not, it is important to get some terms straight. A number of different factors can contribute to the development of "dementia". Dementia means a loss of mental functioning. Alzheimer's disease is only one type of dementia. It is, however, the most common cause of dementia. Dementia and Alzheimer's disease are not the same as "senility". Senility is really just the term used to refer to the mild slowing down of mental functioning, decreased memory and reduced concentration that happens to most of us as we get older. The diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease is based on:-a thorough medical examination 1) mental function testing 2) a thorough personal and family history 3) the exclusion of other possibilities (such as hypothyroidism, vitamin B deficiency, depression, a head injury, a brain tumor or bleeding in the brain) 4) an EEG which may show slowed brain waves 5) a CT scan which may show a reduction in size of the cerebrum 6) a brain biopsy (in some cases) Visit This link for more information ( copy paste in address bar): http://yourhealth.calgaryhealthregion.ca/Topic.jsp?GUID=%7BF4A3CA5D-1A3F-40D7-BF2D-9FE082153F09%7D

SENILITY, a combination of aging plus malnutrition, and ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE, (Premature Senility) the destruction of brain cells at a much earlier age, are both characterized by progressive mental withdrawal of patients into their own secluded world. I consider Alzheimer's Disease (A.D.), formerly a very rare disease, to be, potentially, an extremely serious health problem of the future, right up there near the top with A.I.D.S., heart disease and cancer. Alzheimer's disease is a condition that causes progressive deterioration of brain functions. Symptoms include the gradual loss of memory, reason, language and the ability to care for oneself. In order to understand what Alzheimer's disease is and is not, it is important to get some terms straight. A number of different factors can contribute to the development of "dementia". Dementia means a loss of mental functioning. Alzheimer's disease is only one type of dementia. It is, however, the most common cause of dementia. Dementia and Alzheimer's disease are not the same as "senility". Senility is really just the term used to refer to the mild slowing down of mental functioning, decreased memory and reduced concentration that happens to most of us as we get older.