A progressive disease of the brain that occurs mainly in old age and leads to a loss of mental abilities such as memory, orientation, and thinking ability.
example
Seine Großmutter leidet an Demenz und erkennt manchmal ihre eigene Familie nicht mehr.
His grandmother suffers from dementia and sometimes no longer recognizes her own family.
Usage tips
Correct preposition
When you want to express that someone is affected by this illness, you use the preposition 'an' with the dative. The correct formulations are 'an Demenz leiden' (to suffer from dementia) or 'an Demenz erkrankt sein' (to have fallen ill with dementia).
EXAMPLE
Immer mehr ältere Menschen leiden an Demenz.
More and more older people suffer from dementia.
Typical collocations
'Demenz' is often combined with adjectives that describe the stage of the disease. Common combinations are 'beginnende Demenz' (early dementia), 'leichte Demenz' (mild dementia), or 'fortgeschrittene Demenz' (advanced dementia).
EXAMPLE
Bei einer beginnenden Demenz sind die Symptome oft noch unauffällig.
In early dementia, the symptoms are often still inconspicuous.
Register and style
'Demenz' is the correct medical term and is also used in everyday language as a neutral and respectful expression for the disease. The word is equally common in formal and informal contexts.
EXAMPLE
Die Forschung sucht nach neuen Wegen, um Demenz zu behandeln.
Research is looking for new ways to treat dementia.