Dementia refers to a range of disorders that affect the brain. People with dementia typically have problems with thinking, reasoning, and problem solving.
Dementia can have a severe effect on memory, and some of its varieties can also lead to physical disabilities such as Parkinson's disease.
Metabolic conditions, endocrine issues, nutritional deficiencies, and infections are some of the causes of different types of dementia.
While older people are more likely to experience dementia, it is not part of the ageing process and can affect younger people too. 

Main symptoms associated with each dementia type

Forgetfulness is one sign of some kinds of dementia.

Different types of dementia will share some symptoms, but other symptoms will be specific to the disease. These are some of the main types of dementia.

Alzheimer's disease

According to the Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's disease is the most common dementia type, affecting between 60 and 80 percent of all people with dementia.
A doctor cannot officially diagnose a dementia type as Alzheimer's, because they must view specific nerve cell damage in the brain that can only be examined after a person dies.
In the early stages, people with Alzheimer's typically have difficulty remembering recent events or conversations, as well as names of people. They may also experience depression.
In time, people find it increasingly difficult to communicate, and their judgment may become impaired. They may feel disoriented and confusion. Their behavior could change, and physical activities such as swallowing and walking might become harder.

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

This condition represents a number of brain diseases that are believed to be triggered by prion proteins, which cause problems throughout the body. Although a prion is neither a virus nor a bacterium, it can cause a disease.
Types of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease include "mad cow disease." The condition causes rapid memory, behavior, and movement changes. It is a rare and fatal condition.

Dementia with Lewy bodies

The symptoms can be similar to those of Alzheimer's disease, but people who have dementia with Lewy bodies may also experience sleep disturbances, visual hallucinations, and an unsteady walking pattern.

Frontotemporal dementia

This condition can trigger changes in how people behave and how they relate to others. It can also cause problems with language and movement.
Frontotemporal dementia typically tends to appear in an individual at around 60 years of age, but it can appear as early as the 20s. It involves a loss of nerve cells.

Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's is a motor system disorder. The hallmark signs include trembling, especially tremor in the hands. It can also involve depression and behavioral changes.
In the later stages, the individual may have difficulty speaking. Sleep disturbances might also occur.

Huntington's disease

Huntington's is a genetic disorder that results from a defect on chromosome 4. It can lead to mood changes, abnormal movements, and depression.
The person may experience an ongoing decline in thinking and reasoning skills. There could be slurred speech and problems with coordination. It tends to appear in individuals aged between 30 and 50 years old.

Mixed dementia

Mixed dementia occurs when a person has dementia due to more than one cause, such as Lewy body dementia and vascular dementia, or Alzheimer's disease.

Normal pressure hydrocephalus

This condition results when cerebrospinal fluid builds up in the brain, therefore causing pressure.
Symptoms can include memory loss, problems with movement, and the inability to control urination. It can happen at any age, but it is more common among older people.

Vascular dementia

Also known as post-stroke dementia, this condition occurs after a person experiences bleeding or vessel blockage in the brain, known as a stroke. It affects a person's thinking and physical movements.
According to the Alzheimer's Association, early symptoms may include an inability to organize, plan, or make decisions.

Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome

This condition occurs due to a chronic deficiency of vitamin B1 or thiamine. It is most common in those who chronically abuse alcohol. The effects of alcohol and a poor diet are likely to contribute to the development of the condition.
The chief symptom is severely impaired memory, including long-term memory gaps, which the person may try to fill in with incorrect versions of what they think happened. This unintentional lying is known as confabulation.

Causes associated with dementia

Various factors can lead to different kinds of dementia, but they invariably involve some form of damage to the nerve cells. How dementia affects people also depends on where in the brain the damage occurs.

Amyloid plaques in the brain are a hallmark feature of Alzheimer's.

The exact cause of Alzheimer's disease is not known, but a person with the condition will have amyloid plaques and tangles in their brain.
Lewy bodies are clumps of protein that develop in people with Lewy body dementia, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's disease.
Vascular dementia is the result of damage to blood vessels in the brain.
Metabolic or endocrine issues, such as thyroid problems, can lead to dementia if the body is not able to absorb certain nutrients. Nutritional factors, such as a low intake of vitamin B12, can also play a role.
Infections can lead to some kinds of dementia. Multiple sclerosis is an immune condition in which the body attacks its own nerve cells.
Traumatic brain injury has been linked to dementia in footballers.

Risk factors for dementia

While the cause of Alzheimer's disease, the most common type of dementia, remains unknown, a number of lifestyle choices can help to prevent other forms of the condition.
The following factors could all reduce the risk of developing the disease:

• Avoiding excessive alcohol consumption and smoking
• Maintaining a healthy blood pressure level
• Controlling diabetes

Seeking medical help for depression, infections, and traumatic brain injury can also reduce the chance of developing some types of dementia.

Lifestyle tips for people with dementia

Complications of dementia can include a deterioration of physical health, as the individual becomes less able to take care of themselves or to eat properly. 
Although the symptoms of dementia gradually get worse, a person can continue to live independently for some time following a diagnosis.
The United Kingdom's National Health Service note that it is important to remain in contact with others, continue to see friends and family, and possibly join a support group.
Sleep has also been known to pose a problem. Good sleep hygiene tips include keeping to regular bedtimes, not napping during the day, and avoiding alcohol or caffeine at night.
Many people with dementia can keep active by doing the things they have always enjoyed, such as walking or gardening.
In time, the person may need help at home, and they might need to move into a residential home when it becomes too difficult to live independently.
Family or friends who care for the person with dementia may wish to consider discussing future plans with them while they are still able to think clearly and to make decisions. 

Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) causes problems with mental abilities and a number of other difficulties.
The symptoms tend to come on gradually and get slowly worse over several years, although treatment can help.

Problems with mental abilities

As with other types of dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies typically causes problems with:

• thinking speed
• understanding
• judgement
• visual perception
• language
• memory (but significant memory loss may not occur until later on)

These problems may be constant but typically tend to come and go.

Other symptoms

There are also other symptoms of dementia with Lewy bodies that can help distinguish it from other types of dementia, such as:

• marked swings between alertness and confusion or sleepiness – this can happen unexpectedly and change over hours or days
• slow movement, stiff limbs, tremors (uncontrollable shaking) and shuffling when walking – similar to Parkinson's disease
• seeing or sometimes hearing things that aren't there (hallucinations) – these can range from pleasant to distressing
• fainting, unsteadiness and falls 
• disturbed sleep – this could be talking in sleep, acting out dreams or sleepiness during the day
• difficulty swallowing
• depression 

Daily activities become increasingly difficult and there may be further health problems, such as an injury after a fall or a chest infection caused by accidentally inhaling food. 

Getting medical advice

See your GP if you think you have early symptoms of dementia, especially if you're over 65 years of age.
If you're worried about someone else, encourage them to make an appointment with their GP and perhaps suggest that you go with them.
Your GP can do some simple checks to try to find out the cause of your symptoms and may refer you to a specialist for further tests.

Dementia is a progressive disorder that affects how your brain works and in particular the ability to remember, think and reason.

It is not a disease in itself – but a group of symptoms that may accompany a number of diseases that affect the brain.
The most common of these is Alzheimer’s disease. Another is vascular dementia which can develop following a stroke or mini stroke or if there is blood vessel damage that interrupts the flow of blood to your brain. Other types of dementia include – dementia with Lewy bodies and frontotemporal dementia.
Dementia is not a consequence of growing old but the risk of having dementia increases with age.
In 2014, of the estimated that 850,000 people who were living with dementia in the UK, 773,502 were aged 65 and over.

Common symptoms of dementia

In most cases, the symptoms that characterise dementia come on gradually and get worse over time, often over a number of years.
Symptoms can vary according to the disease causing them and from person to person. They affect your daily life and are more than just occasional lapses. Symptoms of dementia include:

• Struggling to remember things that happened recently, even though you can easily remember things from longer ago.
• Struggling to follow conversations, particularly in groups.
• Forgetting the names of people or things.
• Struggling to follow a story on television or in a book, or understand magazine and newspaper articles.
• Having trouble remembering the day or date.
• Having trouble remembering where you put something, or where things are kept.
• Being unaware that you are repeating yourself or losing the thread of what you are saying in mid- sentence.
• Difficulty completing familiar tasks.
• Struggling to do things you used to find easy.
• Feeling confused even in a familiar place.
• Having problems controlling your mood, or controlling your emotions.

Both the person with dementia and those around them may not even notice the signs or take them seriously for quite some time.

Seeking further advice

If problems like these start to affect your daily life, it is worth sharing your concerns and making an appointment to discuss them with your GP.
If you are worried about someone else, try to encourage them to see their GP. You could offer to go with them for support if they seem a bit reluctant.

Finding a gift for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia is not always easy. Fortunately, there are Alzheimer’s gift guides and products that can help make your search stress-free.
Learn more from these gift ideas for Alzheimer’s and dementia patients.

Gift Guide for Alzheimer’s and Dementia

Searching for the perfect gift for a loved one with Alzheimer’s or dementia does not have to be difficult.
The Alzheimer’s Association recommends that you first consider what stage of the disease your loved one is in, when shopping for a gift for them. In the early stages of Alzheimer’s, for instance, a gift may not be very different from what you’d give your loved one before their diagnosis. In later stages of the disease, however, sensory stimulating gifts become more important, because the stimulus could bring back some of your loved one’s memories.
Here are some gift ideas by stage of Alzheimer’s that you can use when searching for a gift for a loved one this holiday season:

Early Stage Gifts

1. Activity books, like crossword puzzles or strategy games.
2. Classic movies and television shows than can stimulate your loved one.
3. CD’s and music that allow your loved one to reminisce.
4. A memorable photo album or calendar that features special family occasions and family photos.
5. A memory phone that can store photos with the contact information and names of your loved one’s family and friends.

Middle Stage Gifts

1. Erasable white boards that highlight key rooms or areas in your loved one’s home.
2. A large typed clock that highlights both the date and time.
3. Automatic nightlights that will light for your loved one as soon as it gets dark.
4. An automatic medication dispenser.
5. Simple craft activities that inspire reminiscing.

Late Stage Gifts

Sensory stimulating gifts can include:

1. A fluffy bathrobe or a soft blanket in a favorite color.
2. Comfortable clothes like sweat suits and shoes with Velcro ties that can make dressing and undressing easier on a loved one.
3. A doll or stuffed animal.
4. Music and CD’s that feature songs from your loved one’s childhood or teenage years.
5. A location device that can track your loved one, if they become disoriented and wander.