LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Dementia: Functioning
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Dementia is not the same thing as delirium or mental retardation. Delirium is typically a brief state of mental confusion often associated with hallucinations. Mental retardation is a condition that usually dates from childhood and is characterized by impaired intellectual ability; mentally retarded individuals typically have IQ (intelligence quotient) scores below 70 or 75.
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Dementia is significant loss of intellectual abilities such as memory capacity, severe enough to interfere with social or occupational functioning. Criteria for the diagnosis of dementia include impairment of attention, orientation, memory, judgment, language, motor and spatial skills, and function.
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Dementia is generally a progressive disorder which passes through stages of mild to moderate to severe. Only drivers with dementia in the mild stage may still have preserved cognitive functions necessary to safely operate a motor vehicle. The department may receive a report of dementia from a variety of sources, including physicians, law enforcement agencies, and relatives of the driver.Regardless of the source of the information (form or letter), the department must follow up by sending the reported driver the Driver Medical Evaluation, except in situations where an immediate action is taken. An action will not be taken by the department against the driving privilege without receiving information from a physician. If the driver fails to submit the required medical information, the driving privilege will be suspended pursuant to Vehicle Code Section 13801.
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Dementia and early onset dementia have been associated with neurovisceral porphyrias. Porphyria is listed in textbooks in the differential diagnosis of dementia. Because acute intermittent porphyria, hereditary coproporphyria and variegate porphyria are aggravated by environmental toxins and drugs the disorders should be ruled out when these etiologies are raised.
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Dementia is reported in as many as 1% of adults 60 years of age. It has been estimated that the frequency of dementia doubles every five years after 60 years of age.
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Dementia is a mental state characterized by a loss of intellectual ability that is long-lasting and consists of a significant decline in memory and other intellectual functions that are needed to carry out every-day activities. While there are many different types of dementia with many different causes, all of the types share a common set of symptoms.
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