Dementia

Dementia is the loss of cognitive functioning — thinking, remembering, and reasoning — to such an extent that it interferes with a person's daily life and activities. Dementia is more common as people grow older (about one-third of all people age 85 or older may have some form of dementia) but it is not a normal part of aging. There are several different forms of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.

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Depression

Depression can happen to any of us as we age, regardless of our background or achievements. And the symptoms of elderly depression can affect every aspect of your life, impacting your energy, appetite, sleep, and interest in work, hobbies, and relationships. Depression is a true and treatable medical condition, not a normal part of aging. Most older adults see an improvement in their symptoms when treated with antidepression drugs, psychotherapy, or a combination of both.

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Delirium

Delirium is a serious disturbance in mental abilities that results in confused thinking and reduced awareness of the environment. Delirium causes great distress to patients, families and carers and has potentially serious consequences such as increased likelihood of admission to long term care and increased mortality. Delirium is an acute neuropsychiatric syndrome and one of the most common presenting symptoms of acute medical illnesses in older people. Delirium requires urgent medical assessment.