What is Dementia?
Dementia is an umbrella term used to describe various conditions which damage brain cells and lead to a loss of brain function over time.
Dementia is progressive, which means the symptoms will get worse over time. How quickly dementia progresses depends entirely on the individual, each person will have their own, unique experience with dementia.
Dementia is characterised by a gradual deterioration in memory and in the person's ability to carry out everyday activities, make decisions, understand information and express themselves. Dementia may also affect a person's mood and personality.
There are many different types of dementia, Alzheimer's Disease and Vascular Dementia are the most common forms. Less common forms include Lewy Body Dementia, Frontotemporal Dementia (including Pick's Disease) and Korsakoff's Disease (alcohol related dementia).
There are over 44,000 people in Ireland living with a form of dementia today. At present, it is not known what causes the different types of dementia, medical research is ongoing throughout the world to discover the cause and develop new treatments.