Dementia 101
Dementia is not part of healthy aging. It’s a severe cognitive impairment that can compromise one’s ability to perform daily activities and function independently. No one test definitively diagnoses dementia—instead, a test series, brain scans, and an expert’s consideration of the overall pattern of symptoms lead to a formal diagnosis.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, affecting more than half of all dementia patients. There’s also vascular dementia, which arises from brain blood flow issues, and frontotemporal dementia, which often manifests in middle age, and is named for the most affected areas of the brain. Lewy body dementia occurs when protein deposits form in nerve cells in the brain.
In 2025, estimates suggest there were at least 5.6 million people living in America with dementia. Though the burden of dementia is often incalculable for individuals and their families, one estimate suggests it costs society $781B in 2025. If dementia-like symptoms are caused by factors such as vitamin deficiencies, medication side effects, liver disease, or infections, then the condition can be treatable or curable. Typically, however, there is no cure for dementia.
Medications and lifestyle choices can help to alleviate dementia symptoms and slow symptom progression. Current researchseeks to tease apart the etiologies of dementia and identify new drug treatments and the best ways to support loved ones who act as caregivers. Dementia caregivers often provide unpaid care that may last for years.
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