Helms diagnosed with dementia

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Former U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms, in increasingly poor health before and since he left office three years ago, has vascular dementia and has moved into a convalescent center near his home, his wife, Dot Helms said Sunday.

The 84-year-old Republican has been slowed by illnesses including a bone disorder, prostate cancer and heart problems. As his career neared its end, he made his way through the Capitol on a motorized scooter. He decided against seeking a sixth term and left Congress in 2003.

Vascular dementia is considered one of the most common types of dementia in aging people, with symptoms that may appear similar to those caused by Alzheimer's disease, according to the Memory and Aging Center at the University of California-San Francisco.

Helms' last major public appearance was in September, when he was honored by conservatives in Washington.

Helms' wife of 63 years said that she and friends visit him daily, and that he hopes to resume going to church.

"His manners are always intact," Dot Helms said. "He is very gracious when people come to see him. He is his same self in a lot of ways. He just doesn't always remember."