Dementia Friendly

Dementia Friendly. It’s a fairly new concept that you will be hearing more about here on the Outer Banks. Why? Because people with dementia and their caregivers have special needs. A common question is, “How is dementia different from aging and forgetfulness?” Aging happens to everyone; dementia does not. Aging is a natural and expected aspect of human life; dementia is a disease. Forgetfulness may make retaining new information frustrating at times, but new information can be retained. In contrast, a person with dementia will eventually be unable to retain new information. Dementia is an ‘umbrella’ term used to describe changes in brain function that interfere with a person’s ability to do everyday tasks. There are many different types of dementia, one of which is Alzheimer’s. To read the entire Newsletter, click “View PDF” below.