Vascular dementia is more about the blood vessels in the brain. Mini-strokes or clogged arteries can cause this. Alzheimer's and vascular dementia are often found in the same person, but certainly not always.

For a physician to make a mistake in this area is common. I encouraged a friend to have another doctor examine her dad, as his symptoms didn't sound like Alzheimer's to me (a non-medical person), though she had been told he had AD. I thought his symptoms sounded more like vascular, and after the exam she tracked me down on my cell phone to tell me I was right.

Whichever it is, though, they often use the same medications, as many Alzheimer's drugs increase blood flow to the brain, which helps with vascular dementia. Still, it's wise to talk with a professional about the differences between them so you know how to plan for the future.

Please keep us posted, as we love hearing how you are coping and that you are taking care of yourself, as well.

Carol

Dementia is an umbrella term that describes the symptoms caused by damage to neurons in the brain. These symptoms include problems such as loss of memory, judgment, language, complex motor skills, and other intellectual function.  Vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are both types of dementia.

Vascular dementia is caused by loss of blood to the brain, more commonly referred to as a stroke.  People who are diagnosed with vascular dementia may have a series of mini-strokes or TIAs, which cause more and more damage to the brain over time.  Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive, degenerative disorder that attacks neurons.  Upon autopsy, Alzheimer’s disease has been identified in causing plaques and tangles in the brain, which is not a normal part of aging. 

It is possible for an individual to have both vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.  Strokes have been known to be present in individuals with other types of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease.  There are measures that can be taken to prevent strokes in the future such as diet changes, medication for management of blood pressure or cholesterol and other health related improvements. 

Regarding Namenda and Aricept, both drugs have been approved by the FDA specifically to treat Alzheimer's disease. The purpose of medications such as Namenda and Aricept is to slow the progression of the illness.  Aricept and Namenda target different chemicals in the brain. They are prescribed independently or in combination. As published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, a clinical trial showed that individuals with Alzheimer's disease taking Namenda in combination with Aricept experienced a slower rate of decline in thinking, function and behavior compared to those taking Aricept alone.   
 

If you have questions about the usage and effectiveness of these drugs for people with vascular dementia, you may want to contact the manufacturer or refer back to your mother's doctor.   If you have further concerns, it would be important to seek additional support from a doctor.