Dementia is a general term for a decline in mental ability (including impaired memory, language, reasoning, judgment, visuospatial skills, and orientation) severe enough to interfere with daily life.Think of dementia as a big general category like the word "building." Just as there are many specific types of buildings (stores, houses, cabins, skyscrapers, factories, and so on), there are many specific forms of dementia.

Some of the most well-known medical conditions affecting the brain and nerves have symptoms that can mimic dementia features alongside their own, more specific features. So doctors may want to rule out some of these diseases before coming to a final diagnosis: Parkinson's disease: This condition has a genuine overlap with dementia, because people with Parkinson's disease have a higher-than-average risk of also developing dementia.

Mild cognitive impairment involves more than the limitations that occur as a result of a normally aging brain, but not enough to constitute dementia. Long-term studies suggest that 10 to 20 percent of people age 65 and older may have mild cognitive impairment.Like dementia, mild cognitive impairment can affect a variety of normal thought processes including memory, planning, and judgment, but it doesn't impact mood or a person's ability to perform day-to-day functions.

Not every nursing home is a great place. AARP published the following list of warning signs of a bad nursing home. If you encounter one or more of these negative indications, run, don't walk, out of there and definitely do not place your loved one in that facility. Odors: A strong smell of urine and feces indicates a shortage of staff to help residents to the bathroom or to keep residents and the facility clean.

You can start by checking the bulletin board in your local senior center or community center. People looking for work as aides often post their credentials there. If you can't locate any potential candidates that way, place an ad in the local paper or post a notice at the senior center. If you're a member of a church or synagogue, ask around to see if anyone is interested in the job or has used such a service.

Many families feel that they don't have any other choice but to care for their loved ones at home without outside assistance. According to the Alzheimer's Association, 28 percent of caregivers have annual incomes less than $20,000. Financial constraints force them to personally shoulder the burden of providing care for their loved ones.

If your loved one isn't yet ready for an assisted living facility or a nursing home but you don't feel that your situation is conducive to providing 24/7 in-home care, adult daycare is for you.Adult daycare for people with dementia and its newer cousin, adult day healthcare, can be a real godsend for a two-career family that simply can't provide in-home care during work hours and doesn't like the idea of leaving their loved one alone at home all day alone or with an aide.

Your loved one won't require as much care in the early stages of dementia or AD as he or she will in the later stages. For someone with very mild memory loss, perhaps all you'll need is someone to ensure that medications are taken as prescribed. The care plan you start out with will change and become more comprehensive as your love one's condition progresses.

Talking about end-of-life care options may seem a bit disheartening, especially because the end may still be many years away. But now, as soon as possible after diagnosis, is the time to discuss your loved one's wishes for her end-of-life care. You're going to have to make more decisions than you might think, so you want to start early.