Omid Saatsaz
Founder, Red Hill Home Care
This is one of the most common questions we hear, and the short answer is: dementia isn't a disease — it's a category. Alzheimer's is a specific disease, and the most common cause of dementia, but not the only one.
Dementia Is the Umbrella Term
"Dementia" describes a set of symptoms — a decline in memory, thinking, reasoning, or communication severe enough to interfere with daily life — not a single diagnosis. Several different diseases can cause dementia: Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia (caused by reduced blood flow to the brain, often after a stroke), Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal dementia, and others. Someone can have "dementia" without having Alzheimer's specifically.
Alzheimer's Is the Most Common Cause
Alzheimer's disease accounts for roughly 60-80% of dementia cases, which is why the two terms get used almost interchangeably in everyday conversation even though they're not technically the same thing. Alzheimer's has its own distinct pattern — it typically starts with short-term memory loss (forgetting recent conversations or events while older memories stay intact longer) and progresses in a fairly predictable sequence over years.
Why the Distinction Actually Matters for Care
The specific cause changes what to expect and plan for. Vascular dementia can progress in sudden steps tied to small strokes rather than Alzheimer's more gradual decline. Lewy body dementia often comes with visual hallucinations and movement symptoms similar to Parkinson's. The right care approach — how to communicate, how to handle agitation, what safety risks to watch for — depends on which pattern you're actually dealing with, which is why a proper diagnosis from a doctor (not a general assumption of "it's probably Alzheimer's") is worth getting early.
Whatever the specific diagnosis, our caregivers receive dementia-specific training in redirection, safety, and communication techniques that reduce agitation and keep clients calm and secure — and we adjust the approach based on which type of dementia a client actually has, not a one-size-fits-all script.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can someone have more than one type of dementia at once?
Yes — this is called mixed dementia, most commonly a combination of Alzheimer's and vascular dementia. It's more common than many people realize, especially in older age.
Does Red Hill Home Care provide medical treatment for dementia?
No — we provide non-medical support: redirection, safety supervision, and communication techniques that reduce agitation. Medical treatment and diagnosis come from a doctor, not a home care agency.
About Omid Saatsaz
Founder, Red Hill Home Care
Omid founded Red Hill Home Care after watching his grandfather receive home care firsthand, and after a close family friend with disabilities struggled to get the daily support they needed. Before starting Red Hill, he spent several years consulting for home care agencies on operations, marketing, and M&A, and three years at Medtronic in Irvine, CA working on neurovascular stroke-prevention devices (aneurysm treatment and blood clot retrieval). He holds a degree in Industrial Engineering from Cal Poly Pomona (2016).