What Is Dementia?

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), dementia refers to a broad range of intellectual impairments involving memory, problem-solving, emotional control and the overall ability to think and reason.

Dementia is not considered to be a disease in itself, but rather a collection of symptoms brought on by diseases such as Alzheimer's and, in some cases, Parkinson's.

Intellectual impairment of this sort is not considered to be a normal part of aging, despite its common occurrence among seniors.