Dementia glossary

Why a dementia glossary helps

Within weeks of a diagnosis, most families hear a dozen new words: from doctors (anosognosia, dysphagia), from hospital discharge planners (ADLs, home health), from lawyers (durable power of attorney, health care surrogate) and from other caregivers (sundowning, respite). Knowing what each one means, and what it does not mean, makes appointments shorter, decisions clearer and late-night internet searches less frightening.

Each term below links to its own page with a short definition, what it looks like at home, why it happens, what helps, when to call the doctor and how it differs from a term people often confuse it with. Medical information comes from sources such as Mayo Clinic, the CDC, the Alzheimer’s Association and Medicare.gov, and legal terms are checked against the Florida Statutes. This is general information, not medical or legal advice; talk with your loved one’s doctor or an elder law attorney about your situation.

Dementia terms A to Z

Letters in this glossary: A · C · D · F · H · L · M · P · R · S · V · W.

A

Activities of daily living (ADLs): Basic self-care tasks such as bathing, dressing, eating and toileting, plus more complex “instrumental” tasks like managing money and medicines that usually need help first in dementia.

Adult day care: A supervised daytime program outside the home with activities, meals and some health services, giving family caregivers a regular break.

Agitation: Restlessness, irritability, pacing or outbursts in dementia, usually a sign of pain, fear, overload or another unmet need.

Alzheimer’s disease: The most common cause of dementia, a progressive brain disease that usually begins with trouble remembering recent events.

Anosognosia: A brain-based inability to recognize one’s own impairment, which is why your loved one may sincerely believe nothing is wrong.

Aphasia: A disorder of language that affects speaking, understanding, reading or writing, caused by stroke or by diseases such as dementia.

C

Caregiver burnout: Physical, emotional and mental exhaustion that builds when caregiving demands outrun rest and support.

Companion care: Non-medical help at home, such as company, activities, meals, errands and reminders, which Florida law separates from hands-on personal care. For hands-on personal care, families add a licensed home health agency or aide alongside a companion.

D

Delirium: A sudden change in attention and thinking, often triggered by infection, dehydration or medication, that needs prompt medical attention.

Durable power of attorney: A legal document naming an agent to handle finances that stays valid if your loved one later loses capacity; in Florida it needs two witnesses and a notary.

Dysphagia: Difficulty swallowing, common in later dementia, which raises the risk of choking, dehydration and aspiration pneumonia.

F

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD): A group of diseases affecting the brain’s frontal and temporal lobes that often changes personality, behavior or language before age 65.

H

Health care surrogate: The person a Floridian names under Chapter 765 to make medical decisions if they cannot, designated in writing before two adult witnesses.

Home health care: Doctor-ordered skilled nursing or therapy at home that Medicare covers for homebound patients, but not 24-hour or daily custodial help.

Hospice: Comfort-focused care for a terminal illness, including late-stage dementia, when a doctor certifies a life expectancy of six months or less.

L

Lewy body dementia (LBD): A progressive dementia marked by visual hallucinations, swings in alertness, dream enactment and Parkinson-like movement problems.

M

Memory care: Residential care designed for people with dementia, usually a secured unit within assisted living with dementia-trained staff.

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI): A noticeable decline in memory or thinking that does not yet disrupt independent daily life; some people go on to develop dementia.

P

Palliative care: Specialized care that eases symptoms and stress at any stage of a serious illness and can be given alongside treatment.

Perseveration: Repeating the same question, words or action, usually because short-term memory loss erases the last time.

R

Respite care: Short-term care for your loved one so the family caregiver can rest, whether for a few hours at home or a few weeks in a facility.

S

Sundowning: Increased confusion, anxiety or restlessness that starts in the late afternoon or evening in a person living with dementia.

V

Vascular dementia: Dementia caused by reduced blood flow to the brain, often after strokes, that tends to worsen in noticeable steps.

W

Wandering: Walking or driving away and becoming lost, which six in 10 people with dementia will do at least once.

Find terms by situation

Not sure which entry in this dementia glossary to read first? Pick the situation closest to yours.

Where to go next

Once the words make sense, the next question is usually what to do.

Our Florida dementia care cost guide compares in-home care, adult day programs, assisted living and nursing homes. The care comparisons lay out options side by side, and care by situation covers specific diagnoses and family circumstances. For local help such as Area Agencies on Aging and state Memory Disorder Clinics, see Florida dementia resources. Spanish-speaking families can start at our Spanish-language hub.

When you are ready for help at home, our dementia companion care pairs your loved one with one consistent companion, screened for dementia care experience, for company, routine, meals, errands and reminders, at $35 an hour for 40+ hours a week. For hands-on care such as bathing, families add a licensed home health agency or aide, and our companion can work alongside them.