Article / Updated 08-21-2016
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.