Dementia

When someone develops dementia, the first part of the brain that gets affected is the hippocampus.  This part of the brain is the centre of learning and memory. That's why memory loss is often one of the earliest symptoms of Alzheimer's. For more information or if you...

850,000 – number of people with dementia in the UK, that’s one in 14 people aged 65+. 1.6 million – projected number of people with dementia in 2040. 209,600 will develop dementia this year, that's one every three minutes. 1 in 6 people over the age of 80 have...

There are around 850,000 people in the UK with dementia.  Dementia mainly affects people over the age of 65 and the likelihood of developing dementia increases significantly with age.  One in 14 people aged 65+ have dementia. Although dementia can affect younger...

Dementia is caused by damage to brain cells. This damage interferes with the ability of brain cells to communicate with each other. When brain cells cannot communicate normally, it affects thinking, behaviour and feelings. For more information or if you wish to...

With most types of dementia, the disease is not inherited by children or grandchildren. In rarer types of dementia there may be a genetic link, but these are only a very small proportion of overall cases of dementia. Age is the most important risk factor for...

Dementia is not a single disease; it's an overall term that covers a wide range of specific medical conditions, including Alzheimer's disease, which are caused by abnormal brain changes. For more information or if you wish to discuss care for your loved one please...

What causes dementia depends on the type of dementia.  Below are the main types of dementia and their causes: Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is caused by an abnormal protein which surrounds brain cells and another protein...

It can be difficult to understand how your loved one’s mind works when under the influence of dementia. The bookcase example may help. Imagine your brain is a bookcase. Your earliest memories are at the bottom, while your most recent memories are at the top.  Your...

The main types of dementia are: Alzheimer's disease - the most common form of dementia (around 60% of diagnoses). This type of dementia is more common in older people (65+) and is thought to be caused by high amounts of proteins in the brain that damage nerve cells...

Although there are a few common symptoms of dementia, such as memory loss; the specific symptoms the person with dementia experiences will depend on the part of the brain that was damaged and the type of disease that has caused the dementia. As each person is unique,...