Senile dementia

Abstract

The term senile dementia was used for many years to describe older individuals who suffered from cognitive decline, particularly memory loss. This term actually reflects a long history of not understanding dementia, its causes, or its treatment. The nineteenth century concept of "senility", meaning cognitive changes occurring after the age of 65 years and considered to be part of normal aging, flew in the face of the cognitive accomplishments of well-known septuagenarians such as Michelangelo, Rossini, and others. As such, individuals over the age of 65 were dismissed as having senile dementia, while those under the age of 65 years who suffered a cognitive decline were considered to be undergoing a premature aging process or "presenile dementia", the leading cause of which was. © 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.