Lewy Body Dementia vs Parkinson's: 5 Key Differences

Wondering what the difference is between Lewy Body Dementia and Parkinson's Disease? 🤔 Today, I’m breaking down 5 key ways to tell them apart—covering everything from hallucinations to timing of symptoms, and more! Whether you’re caring for someone with dementia or just want to understand these conditions better, this video will help you spot the unique signs of each.

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📜 DISCLAIMER: The content of this video - or any content by Dementia Careblazers - does not replace the need for healthcare professionals. Our content is not healthcare advice and is not a substitute for your own healthcare. It is for general education only. Do not use this content to self-diagnose or self-treat any health, medical, or physical condition. By consuming content from Dementia Careblazers, you agree to hold harmless and indemnify Dementia Careblazers LLC for any and all losses, injuries, or damages resulting from any and all claims that arise from your use or misuse of this content. All content or recommendations on the company’s website, social media, blog, or email series. All comments from Dementia Careblazers’ are expressions of opinion only.
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👩‍🔬 I'm Dr. Natali Edmonds, a board-certified geropsychologist. (A clinical psychologist who specializes in working with older adults.) One day, while hiking a trail, I came up with the idea for Careblazers and I decided to see if posting videos online could provide help to the many other Careblazers in the world who don’t get to have help come directly to them in their homes. I hope that this work helps you in some way on your caregiving journey.
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It’s our mission to make dementia caregiving easier for families caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia, lewy body dementia, vascular dementia, or any other type of dementia. We believe that in order to create a more dementia friendly world, we must first create a caregiver friendly world. That's why we create free educational training videos like this one so that anyone with an internet connection can get access to dementia care information.

00:00 Introduction
01:04 Symptoms of LBD
02:42 Parkinsonism Symptoms
03:09 Timing of cognitive symptoms vs movement symptoms
03:20 Signs of Parkinsons Disease
04:04 How to tell the difference between LBD & PDD

[DementiaCareblazers]

Explore our Care Collective for personalized support, live Q&As with dementia experts, and a supportive caregiver community:

[stevenblack]

My journey has come to a end but I still watch your videos as I find them very informative and now I’m helping my neighbour with his wife along there journey as they are elderly people and she did everything for him and now the rolls are reversed so thanks again for all your help ❤

[Johnsouthshore]

My wife was diagnosed with LBD. She had hallucinations & delusions also hand Tremors. As it turns out, this was a reaction to the immunotherapy treatments (Keytruda encephalitis). Steroids helped but her blood sugar went up to over 800, so that was treated with insulin. Her cancer killed her in June of 2024.. butbthe LBD symptoms were very difficult to deal with. After the encephalitis diagnosis & treatment she recovered enough to drive.

[minsuga]

After watching this and I feel that my mom has this. Right now she has unspecified dementia but everything you mentioned fits 💯! I'm definitely going to bring this up to her neuro

[CathyBurke-kg]

This was INCREDIBLY helpful! My dad passed away earlier this year and we never had a firm diagnosis, but suspected LBD or Parkinson’s Dementia. This video confirmed for me that it was actually LBD. I so appreciate you!!

[clarerigby]

So sorry to read of your loss. My thoughts are with you

[sylviebigger]

Thankyou for this information with differences.

[eltsac]

Thank you for defining the symptoms. My sister has had Parkinson's disease for 7 years now and is sadly starting to show signs of cognitive decline.

[ritasmith]

Yes, Ma'am. Very helpful, these videos. If you could, also display a graphic- a list of these differences as you have listed them here, certainly not all inclusive, but just the points you make between the two as you have described them here. SOME of us are a little 'far gone' (just a little!) ourselves. It would be helpful if we could stop the vid and process the info before moving on.. Love ya, Nat! Have recommended you to quite a few people. And thank you for giving these to us!

[JackCasablanca-painter]

Hi Dr. Natalie... here's an idea for an episode: "Careblazers AFTER their loved one finally passes on." I know only my own experience of that, but I bet everyone's is uniquely their own. Now that my mom has died, in May of this year, after 7 years with Lewy Body, under my personal care at home, I know some important things I wish I had known while caring for her. Such as never, ever lose your temper. She's been gone 6 months and instead of normal grieving and healing, I suffer from prolonged "complicated grief" because of my remorse over the times when I lost my temper. Because we adult children become the "parent" of our elderly parent with dementia, it's easy to raise our voice the way parents do when their children do something wrong. I don't know if parents of children feel guilt over that, but somehow it seems like a much worse offense toward those with dementia. Secondly, I wish I had ignored my friends who said, "You need to take care of YOURSELF too." B.S.– I used that excuse to go out having fun, while leaving my Lewy Dementia mom home alone in the darkening evenings frightened to death alone. If you're gonna care for a loved one with dementia at home, then do it 100%. Don't listen to your friends who have no idea what the f this is. There are several more things I did or did not do, that I wish I had known while she was still alive. Had I done my job better, I would be healing much quicker, now that she has actually died.

[markPwilliams]

I'm diagnose with heart disease, i have just 2 years to live, i've never been this scared to die, i'm just 35, i cry everyday wishing for a miracle to happen. i don't know why im saying this here. put me in your prayers.

[robinpresley]

With all respect, because i love your videos and learn from them. My mom has PD for ten years and the dementia/hallucinations etc have come on solidly in the last 2 years. Other than understanding the timing of things, is it really any difference with handling the hallucinations or the confusion or the anger of someone whether it’s body or Parkinson’s dementia? It’s interesting to understand the differences but when you’re in the trench with it does understanding the difference mean that there’s any special way to deal with the dementia and hallucinations and sleep problems.? thank you for your videos and your time

[jefflawrence]

My wife has Lewy Body Dementia. Twenty years ago she had vagal dysautonomia which we now understand was the “onset” of the LBD. Fourteen years ago she had pancreas cancer and had a complete pancreatectomy. It took about three years for her to recuperate from that as well as beginning to learn how to manage being a medically induced Type 1 diabetic. Then eight years ago the LBD thinking issues, memory, decline, hallucinations, delusions, etc. began coming. Over the past several months she became unmanageable at home despite me having full-time caregivers for over five years and she had to be placed in a memory care unit at a skilled nursing facility. All of the other women in the unit have Alzheimer’s. She is by far of the youngest, and the only one with LBD. Her symptoms are remarkably different than the Alzheimer’s patients. Thank you Dr. Natalie for your good explanation.

[Melanie_just_Melanie]

My husband has LBD and the hallucinations are horrible! Yes, he started acting out his dreams before we knew he was sick. I just thought it was ptsd from the war, but turns out it was beginning signs of LBD.

[angelinatrivelli]

Thank you so much for your dedication and sharing of so much helpful knowledge. God bless you.❤

[melstjohn]

Thank you Natalie, always helpful easy to understand content

[nukejets]

I've had REM Sleep Behavior Disorder for decades. In 2016, I was diagnosed with MCI. In 2023, I was diagnosed with mild dementia with deficits in executive function, processing speed, spatial temporal, along with tremor and slow movement. I have had a few episodes of hallucinations. I have now been evaluated by 3 neurologists and 2 neuropsychologists. None of them agree with LBD because my tremor is atypical, and skin biopsy for alpha synuclein was negative, and a DAT scan was negative. I do have a lot of symptoms that align with LBD though.

My question: Could I have LBD even if the lab tests were negative? Can symptoms appear before alpha synuclein deposits show up on biopsy and before DAT scans show positive results? What is your experience in this case?

[jamieyoung]

My husband has been diagnosed with vascular, Lewy body and Parkinson’s dementia!
Right now he is bedridden and has been since May of this year! Right now I’m experiencing him hollering out or yelling No constantly and doesn’t stop until he finally wears himself out and eventually at that point his medication takes over. This has been going on for 2 weeks! He struggles with bm’s and nothing I do seems to relieve him! Now let me take you back to November 2024 when all we knew is that he had Alzheimer’s with vascular dementia and that diagnosis came in 2019 then he was diagnosed again in November 2024 with the Lewy body and Parkinson’s dementias. Through Christmas last year he was walking, talking, feeding himself, could take showers, I mean everything he could do, he would be forgetful but otherwise pretty normal and mid November bam the new diagnosis! Then 2 after Christmas he came crashing down! Meandering started, incontinence began and by May of this year bedridden and now screaming and hollering and I know he can’t verbalize what is wrong! Please help me understand why he is screaming out! Is he screaming because he’s in pain or is he doing it because it’s what they do! I haven’t seen any videos on this stage!
Sincerely Jamie Y

[loviejefferson]

Could you explain more about Rem sleep disorder ? Thank you

[brendabourdeau]

Can a person have Parkinson’s then also develop Lewy body dementia ?
When a person now has the hallucinations is that far along in the disease ?