Stroke is common in older individuals. While many suffer from minor strokes without serious problems with memory or thinking, some patients are left with a dementia. Sometimes the patient is not aware of these minor strokes. Often these individuals improve modestly after a first stroke, but then have a second or third stroke. Patients with multiple strokes and dementia have multi-infarct dementia.
Treatment is directed toward treating the cause of the strokes.
Patients with Parkinson's disease can become demented as well. Because of their older age, many Parkinson's disease patients may have Alzheimer's disease as the cause for their dementia. In the other Parkinson's disease patients with dementia, the cause of the dementia is not well understood. Treatment of the dementia in Parkinson's disease is more difficult and requires careful evaluation and frequent return visits to your physician. The caregiver may be overwhelmed with the amount of responsibility and time that is often required to care for the family member with dementia.