What is Dementia?

It's never too early to learn about dementia, or too late to reach out for support. Dementia isn't just part of getting old, and it affects people differently. For some, you might forget a joke or an appointment, or tell the same joke twice, but your condition doesn’t stop you doing the things that matter most including seeing your friends and loved ones, working and driving.

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What is dementia?

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Dementia currently affects over 900,000 people in the UK. There are many forms of dementia, with the most common being Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia. Each individual will experience their dementia differently, but they are all diseases of the brain which can cause:

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• Memory loss.

• Problems with everyday tasks, like handling money.

• Difficulties with communication, both speaking and understanding.

• Confusion regarding time or place.

• Sight and hearing problems.

• Perception problems.

• Altered behaviours.

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This video from the Alzheimer's Society may be of interest: What is dementia? (youtube.com)

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Dementia is not a natural part of aging.

It is caused when a disease damages nerve cells in the brain. Nerve cells carry messages between different parts of the brain, and to other parts of the body. As more nerve cells are damaged, the brain becomes less able to work properly. It is progressive – in that it starts off with very mild symptoms and gets worse over time. It affects everyone differently. No two people with dementia are the same.

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The word 'dementia' describes a group of symptoms that over time can affect memory, problem-solving, language and behaviour. Dementia can be caused by many different diseases which affect the brain in different ways, resulting in the different types of dementia, but Alzheimer’s disease is the most common followed by vascular dementia. Read about the different types here: Types of dementia | Alzheimer's Society (alzheimers.org.uk).

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Whilst one in six people over 80 have dementia, two thirds live in the community, and only one third in care homes.​

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What are people with dementia like?

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Each person’s experiences of dementia is different – activities that one person struggles with may not be a problem for someone else. Most people think of someone with dementia as being very confused, needing a lot of help, living in a care home, and unable to communicate because this is how the media often portrays people with dementia, however, most people will not fit this stereotype.

Someone living with dementia is more likely to have much less pronounced difficulties, live independently, get out and about, use shops and cafes, and be doing the same kind of things we all do, but they may just need a little more help to carry on doing these things as time goes by. Whilst one in six people over 80 have dementia, two thirds live in the community, and only one third in care homes.​ Read more about dementia by clicking here.

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What are the behaviours someone with dementia might have? They may include:

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• Looking, or saying that they are a bit lost or confused.

• Problems recalling things that happened recently.

• Appearing to be searching for something they can’t find.

• Looking like they don’t know what to do next.

• Difficulty concentrating, planning or organising – for example, struggling to make decisions, solve problems or follow a series of steps (such as cooking a meal)

• Misunderstanding what is being seen – for example, problems judging distances (such as on stairs) or perceiving the edges of objects, and misinterpreting patterns or reflections.

• Appearing to find self-service facilities hard to understand.

• Being confused about time or place – for example, losing track of the time or date, or becoming confused about where they are

• Difficulties with speech, which may be hard to understand or they may be struggling to find the right words to explain.

• Appearing to have problems understanding what is said to them.​

• ​Mood changes or difficulty controlling emotions – for example, becoming unusually anxious, irritable, sad or frightened, losing interest in things and personality changes.

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For more details on dementia symptoms: Stages of dementia: early stage dementia - Dementia UK

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There are however all sorts of reasons why people might be having these problems that are nothing to do with dementia or memory problems, but you may begin to identify signs that enable someone to explore if they are experiencing challenges.

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How can I spot a person with dementia?

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You can’t. Some people with dementia will tell you if they are having problems and how you can help, or they may carry a card which explains the difficulties they experience and the help they need. Other people with dementia may feel uncomfortable disclosing information about their dementia, or having attention drawn to their difficulties. You may find that people refer to having memory-problems rather than using the word dementia.