What dementia is (and what it is not)

What you'll learn

- What dementia actually is, in plain words

- That it is caused by illness, not by ageing or "going senile"

- The main types you may come across

- Why no two people with dementia are the same

What dementia is

Dementia is not one single illness. It is a word for a group of symptoms that happen when the brain is damaged by certain diseases. Because the brain controls so much — memory, thinking, language, mood, and how we make sense of the world — dementia can affect all of these. It usually develops slowly and gets worse over time.

The most important thing to hold onto is this: dementia is caused by illness in the brain. It is not a normal part of getting older, and it is not the person being difficult, lazy, or "losing their mind". When someone forgets your name or asks the same question again, their brain is not working the way it used to — and that is the illness, not a choice.

The main types

You don't need to be an expert in the types, but it helps to know the common ones:

- Alzheimer's disease — the most common. It often starts with memory problems and builds slowly.

- Vascular dementia — caused by problems with blood flow to the brain, sometimes after a stroke.

- Lewy body dementia — can bring changes in alertness, movement, and sometimes seeing things that aren't there.

- Frontotemporal dementia — often affects personality, behaviour, or language more than memory at first, and can affect younger people.

A person can have more than one type at the same time. What matters most in your work is not the label, but how this particular person is affected.

No two people are the same

Two people with the same type of dementia can be very different. One may stay cheerful and chatty; another may become quiet or anxious. Dementia affects each person on top of who they already are — their personality, their life story, their likes and dislikes. So you never assume you know what someone needs just from the word "dementia". You get to know the person.

How common it is

The Alzheimer's Society estimates that around 982,000 people in the UK are living with dementia, and that this number is expected to rise to 1.4 million by 2040. That means almost everyone working in care will support someone living with dementia at some point.

Key points to remember

- Dementia is a group of symptoms caused by diseases that damage the brain.

- It is not a normal part of ageing, and not the person choosing to be difficult.

- Common types include Alzheimer's, vascular, Lewy body, and frontotemporal dementia.

- No two people with dementia are the same — get to know the person, not the label.

Where this comes from

- NHS — About dementia (nhs.uk).

- Alzheimer's Society — types of dementia and dementia statistics (alzheimers.org.uk).