Dementia is a general term used to describe a variety of neurological disorders which are progressive, ie, a condition that affects the brain and gets worse over time. There are hundreds of subtypes of dementia, but the most common are: vascular, Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal and dementia with Lewy bodies.
What causes dementia?
The brain consists of nerve cells (neurons) that communicate with each other by sending messages. Dementia damages nerve cells in the brain so that the message cannot be sent from and to the brain effectively, which stops the normal functioning of the body. No matter which type of dementia a person has or which part of the brain is affected, every person will experience dementia in their own unique way. For more information on Dementia Care Homes Leicester, visit a site like Sanders Senior Living, providers of Dementia Care Homes Leicester.
Dementia is a global problem but are most often seen in rich countries, where people tend to live to a very old age. The Alzheimer’s Society has reported that there are over 850,000 dementia sufferers in the UK today. More than 40,000 will be ones who suffer with early onset dementia, which often occurs under the age of 65. As a person gets older, the risk of suffering from dementia increases. Estimates suggest more than one million people in the UK will be living with dementia in 2021.
The most common type of dementia include:
Alzheimer’s disease
Dementia with Lewy bodies
Vascular
Fronto-temporal dementia
