Dementia

About dementia

Dementia is not a disease in itself. It is the overall term used for a range of symptoms caused by disorders that affect the brain and a decline in mental ability. The typical symptoms of dementia include: gradual loss of memory; mood changes; problems with communication, and difficulty in thinking and reasoning.

Dementia is progressive, which means the symptoms will gradually get worse.

There are many types of dementia; the most common is Alzheimer’s, which accounts for over 60% of people who are diagnosed with dementia.

Other types of dementia include:

• Vascular dementia
• Mixed dementia
• Dementia with Lewy bodies
• Frontotemporal dementia

More information about the different types of dementia can be found on the Alzheimer's Society website.

Dementia is not an automatic part of ageing although the majority of people diagnosed with dementia are over the age of 65. When people under the age of 65 are diagnosed with dementia it is often referred to as ‘early-onset dementia’.

Dementia in the UK and in Buckinghamshire

More than 6,500 people living in Buckinghamshire have been diagnosed with dementia (2014) and this will rise to over 8,000 people by 2020.

Across the UK there are 800,000 people living with dementia, estimated to increase to well over one million people by 2020.