Daily AncestorSenile dementia
Senile dementia meant the loss of memory and reason that came with old age; IPUMS and the 1911 manual group it with senile debility.
Webster's 1913 defines dementia as insanity, especially the kind that consists of weakness or total loss of thought and reason. Senile meant belonging to old age.
IPUMS gives senile debility and senile dementia one code, and the 1911 Census Bureau manual sends senile dementia to the title for senility rather than to mental disease.
As seen in a recordCause of death line, state death certificate, 1910s to 1930s
Cause: Senile dementia, 4 yrs.
Sources
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Senile dementia." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/causes-of-death/senile-dementia. Last checked 2026-10-12.