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Definition: Dementia is not a disease in itself but a collective term used to describe a range of symptoms affecting memory, thinking, and social abilities severely enough to interfere with daily functioning. It manifests through various diseases or conditions with Alzheimer’s being the most common among them.

Prevalence: According to Alzheimer’s Society UK, there are around 850,000 people in the UK with dementia, and this number is projected to rise.

Symptoms:

• Early Symptoms: Initially, there might be subtle changes in personality, confusion, and even withdrawal from social activities. Memory loss, particularly forgetting recently learned information, is a hallmark.
• Progressive Symptoms: As dementia advances, symptoms become more pronounced, affecting the ability to perform everyday tasks independently. Individuals may experience challenges in communicating, complex task performance, and time and place disorientation.
• Advanced Stage: In the final stages, individuals may face severe memory disturbances and physical symptoms like mobility difficulties.

Alzheimer’s Disease: The most common type, accounting for 60-80% of cases.

Vascular Dementia: Often occurs after a stroke, it is the second most common type of dementia.

Lewy Body Dementia: Characterised by abnormal deposits of a protein called alpha-synuclein in the brain.

Frontotemporal Dementia: Encompasses a group of diseases characterised by the degeneration of nerve cells in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain.