What is dementia, how many types are there and does everyone get affected in the same way?
Dementia is not a specific disease. Dementia is an umbrella term that describes a group of symptoms associated with a decline in memory or other thinking skills that are severe enough to reduce a person’s ability to perform everyday tasks, as brain cells stop working properly.
This happens inside specific areas of the brain, which can affect how you think, remember and communicate. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia, but there are other types of dementia too. It is possible to have more than one type of dementia at the same time. Alzheimer’s is sometimes seen with vascular dementia or dementia with Lewy bodies. You may hear this called ‘mixed dementia’.
Every person is unique and dementia affects people differently – no two people will have symptoms that develop in the exactly same way. dementias unfortunately are progressive, meaning symptoms start out slowly and gradually get worse. If you or someone you know is experiencing memory difficulties or other changes in thinking skills, please don’t ignore them. Seek a doctor’s opinion soon, as they will help to determine the cause.
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