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Symptoms
Forgetfulness is normal
It is perfectly normal at any age to forget things from time to time. In some cases factors such as the menopause or drinking too much alcohol can cause memory loss; as can psychological factors such as stress, depression and anxiety. Some older people have age-related problems with their memory. This is a natural part of ageing and may be nothing to worry about.
Dementia
Dementia is more than forgetfulness. The word is used to describe an initial collection of symptoms such as memory loss, confusion, repetitive questioning and sometimes anxiety. This may lead to problems with behaviour and functioning at a later stage. If memory loss is interfering with daily life, then it could be that the individual is suffering from Dementia (of which Alzheimer's disease is the most common type) currently affecting over 750,000 people in the UK. Alzheimer's disease, first identified a hundred years ago, accounts for 70% of sufferers and is the most common form. There are more than 50 different types of dementia with the commonest being Alzheimer's Disease, Vascular Dementia, Lewy Body Dementia and Frontal-temporal Dementia (including Picks Disease).
Dementia is a group of progressive diseases, which means the symptoms will gradually get worse. How fast it progresses varies from individual to individual. In the later stages of dementia the person affected will have problems carrying out everyday tasks and will become increasingly dependent on other people. Drugs can be used to delay the deterioration but are going to be less available due to changes in government NICE guidelines.
Forgetfulness is normal
It is perfectly normal at any age to forget things from time to time. In some cases factors such as the menopause or drinking too much alcohol can cause memory loss; as can psychological factors such as stress, depression and anxiety. Some older people have age-related problems with their memory. This is a natural part of ageing and may be nothing to worry about.
Dementia
Dementia is more than forgetfulness. The word is used to describe an initial collection of symptoms such as memory loss, confusion, repetitive questioning and sometimes anxiety. This may lead to problems with behaviour and functioning at a later stage. If memory loss is interfering with daily life, then it could be that the individual is suffering from Dementia (of which Alzheimer's disease is the most common type) currently affecting over 750,000 people in the UK. Alzheimer's disease, first identified a hundred years ago, accounts for 70% of sufferers and is the most common form. There are more than 50 different types of dementia with the commonest being Alzheimer's Disease, Vascular Dementia, Lewy Body Dementia and Frontal-temporal Dementia (including Picks Disease).
Dementia is a group of progressive diseases, which means the symptoms will gradually get worse. How fast it progresses varies from individual to individual. In the later stages of dementia the person affected will have problems carrying out everyday tasks and will become increasingly dependent on other people. Drugs can be used to delay the deterioration but are going to be less available due to changes in government NICE guidelines.
Dementia Factfile
Symptoms of dementia include:
Symptoms of dementia include:
- loss of memory
- mood changes
- personality changes
- altered behaviour
- communication problems
- impaired function