Are dementia and Alzheimer’s the same thing?
While the terms dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are often used interchangeably, they’re not the same thing. In this article we’ll explore the difference, and how Upside Stories can support you or someone you love.
Dementia: An umbrella of symptoms
Dementia describes a set of symptoms that some to affect memory, thinking, reasoning, language, and behaviour. It isn’t a single condition, but an umbrella of symptoms caused by over 100 known conditions — with Alzheimer’s disease being the most common type of dementia.
For people living with dementia, it represents a “shift in the way a person experiences the world,” which has been described by them as "living with chronic disability" rather than "dying from a fatal disease" (Power, 2014) and “an illness, which is unpredictable and when it comes you’ve just got to cope with it … … because it’s very difficult …” (Pieters-Hawke & Flynn, 2004).
What are the different types of dementia?
Alzheimer’s disease: Around 60–80% of people who live with dementia, have Alzheimer’s disease; caused by sticky plaques and tangles in the brain, usually starting in the hippocampus, an area of the brain related to memory formation.
Vascular dementia: Around 20-30% of people living with dementia, have vascular dementia; caused by a patchy step-wise progression of strokes and mini-strokes that disrupt the flow of oxygen to parts of the brain; early symptoms include changes in personality and behaviour, decision-making, planning, organising, and judgement, rather than memory.
Dementia with Lewy bodies: Early signs include visual hallucinations, disrupted sleep, slowed and changes in movement, and falling; caused by increasing Lewy bodies in the brain.
Frontotemporal dementia: Often occurs in younger cohorts, with early changes in personality and behaviour, speech and comprehension, rather than memory.
Mixed dementia: Around 50% of people living with dementia have a combination of Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, and Dementia with Lewy bodies.
It’s also worth remembering that around 10% of people with dementia-like symptoms may be experiencing treatable conditions such as depression, delirium or acute confusion, thyroid issues, vitamin deficiencies, or medication side-effects.
What about Alzheimer’s disease as a unique condition?
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that usually begins with subtle memory loss and eventually affects language, problem-solving, spatial awareness, and behaviour. In the brain, sticky plaques and tangles disrupt communication between neurons, eventually leading to cell death — changes that start decades before symptoms appear.
Brain changes and plasticity
The brain has remarkable plasticity—an ability to adapt and rewire itself throughout life and despite damage. In dementia, toxic proteins, chronic inflammation, and loss of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) reduce this adaptability. Yet even in the later stages of dementia, the brain keeps working hard to adapt and compensate — for example, gestures and facial expressions replace words, familiar ways of interacting trigger reconnection within families, music triggers memories and emotion. Living with cognitive change isn’t just about decline, it’s about a person’s strengths and adaptive abilities that remain!
Genes and lifestyle
Having a genetic risk (like the APOE-ε4 allele) doesn’t mean you’ll develop dementia, although it does increase your risk. Yet while genes influence risk, lifestyle and environment often shape the outcome. In fact, around 40% to 65% of people with Alzheimer’s don’t carry the ε4 gene. This reinforces the value of preventative lifestyle changes for everyone, such as staying mentally and physically active, eating well, managing heart health, treating depression, and nurturing supportive relationships.
A whole-person approach
Dementia is not just about a disease or condition — it’s about people. How we frame, respond to, and support someone living with dementia can influence their trajectory and quality of life.
A biopsychosocial approach respects the dynamic interplay between biology, personal meaning (e.g., What do I think about dementia? What does it say about me, now that I live with dementia?), and the physical and social environment.
That’s why we see the whole person and the whole picture — not just decline but strength, retained abilities, and ongoing relationships.
Ready to feel more supported?
Whether you’re processing a new diagnosis, supporting someone you love, or navigating your own cognitive concerns, Upside Stories offers therapy and tailored programs designed for midlife and beyond. For many, these responsibilities begin earlier — especially if you’re supporting older parents.
Our evidence-based, person-centred approach helps you:
Understand what’s happening — with a strengths-based lens
Build practical strategies and plan ahead
Strengthen relationships and communication
Reconnect with what gives your life meaning and purpose
Start with a free 20-minute consultation to explore how we can support you — or learn more about our 10-week therapy programs, such as Carers’ Compass.
References:
American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787
Alzheimer’s Association. (2024). 2024 Alzheimer’s disease facts and figures. Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 20(5), 1–160. https://www.alz.org/media/Documents/alzheimers-facts-and-figures.pdfAlzheimer’s Association+3Alzheimer’s Association+3WDIO.com+3
Clarfield, A. M. (2003). The reversible dementias: Do they reverse? Annals of Internal Medicine, 139(7), 605–612. https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-139-7-200310070-00011
Chow, T. (2013). The Memory Clinic: Stories of hope and healing for Alzheimer's patients and their families. Penguin.
National Institute on Aging. (2024). Alzheimer’s disease fact sheet (NIH Publication No. 24-AG-6423). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://order.nia.nih.gov/sites/default/files/2024-07/nia-alzheimers-fact-sheet.pdfNIA Order
Pieters-Hawke, S., & Flynn H. (2004). Hazel's journey : a personal experience of Alzheimer's. Pan Macmillan.
Power, G. A. (2014). Dementia Beyond Disease: Enhancing Well-Being. Health Professions Press.
Reiman, E. M., Quiroz, Y. T., Fleisher, A. S., Chen, K., Velez-Pardo, C., Jimenez-Del-Rio, M., ... & Lopera, F. (2012). Brain imaging and fluid biomarker analysis in young adults at genetic risk for autosomal dominant Alzheimer's disease in the presenilin 1 E280A kindred: A case-control study. The Lancet Neurology, 11(12), 1048–1056. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1474-4422(12)70228-4
Villemagne, V. L., Burnham, S., Bourgeat, P., Brown, B., Ellis, K. A., Salvado, O., ... & Rowe, C. C. (2013). Amyloid β deposition, neurodegeneration, and cognitive decline in sporadic Alzheimer’s disease: A prospective cohort study. The Lancet Neurology, 12(4), 357–367. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1474-4422(13)70044-9
World Health Organization. (2025). Dementia. https://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dementia