As you get older, you may find that memory loss becomes a problem. It’s normal for your memory to be affected by age, stress, tiredness, or certain illnesses and medications.
This can be annoying if it happens occasionally, but if it’s affecting your daily life or is worrying you or someone you know, you should speak with your GP.
People and their families are sometimes reluctant to seek advice when concerned about memory or other problems. But there are many potential benefits to getting medical advice if you’re worried. It’s important to find out the reason for the problems as there may be treatment or support available that can help.
Read more about dementia-like symptoms on the Social Care Institute for Excellence website.
Read more about concerns about memory on the Alzheimer's Society website.
Dementia
Dementia is a common condition that affects about 900,000 people in the UK.
The risk of developing dementia increases as you get older. The condition usually occurs in people over the age of 65.
There are also about 42,000 people in the UK with young-onset dementia. Young-onset dementia is dementia that begins before the age of 65.
The Alzheimer's society website has more information about:
Symptoms
Dementia is a syndrome associated with an ongoing decline of the brain and its abilities. This includes problems with:
- memory
- thinking
- language
- mood
- emotions
- perception
- behaviour
Types
Most people with dementia have one of 4 main types:
There is also:
- mixed dementia - with symptoms of more than one type
- rarer types of dementia
About 5% to 20% of people aged over 65 have mild cognitive impairment (MCI). This is not a type of dementia, but a person with MCI is more likely to go on to develop dementia.
The Alzheimer’s Society has more information on dementia in various formats including:
Reducing your risk of developing dementia
Age, genes and lifestyle can increase your risk of getting dementia.
But there are ways you can reduce your risk of developing dementia. These include:
- keeping active
- healthy eating
- exercising your mind
Find out more about dementia risk factors and prevention on The Alzheimer's Society website.