Alzheimer's Society

What is dementia?

Dementia describes different brain disorders that trigger a loss of brain function. These conditions are all usually progressive and eventually severe.

There are more than 100 different types of dementia. Alzheimer's disease is the most common type, affecting 62 per cent of those diagnosed, almost 417,000 people.

Other types of dementia include; vascular dementia affecting 17 per cent of those diagnosed and mixed dementia affecting 10 per cent of those diagnosed.

Symptoms of dementia include memory loss, confusion and problems with speech and understanding. Dementia is a terminal condition.

Who is affected?

There are 700,000 people with dementia in the UK. This will rise to over 1 million people by 2025 and 1.7 million by 2051.

There are 575,000 people with dementia in England. The condition affects more than 56,000 people in Scotland, 16,000 in Northern Ireland and more than 36,000 people in Wales.

One person in every 14, aged over 65, in the UK has dementia. One in three older people will end their lives with a form of dementia

More than 60 per cent of all care home residents, aged over 65, have a form of dementia.

More than 15,000 people under 65 have dementia in the UK.

Dementia affects 11,000 people from black and minority ethnic groups in the UK.

How much does it cost?

Dementia costs the country £17 billion every year or £539 a second.

Unpaid carers supporting someone with dementia save the economy £6 billion a year.

Two thirds of people with late onset dementia live at home, meaning families bear the biggest burden.

How does the UK compare to other countries?

More than 24 million people have dementia today with the numbers affected doubling every 20 years to more than 80 million by 2040.

Another 4.6 million people will develop dementia around the world this year.

What about treatments and research?

There is no cure for Alzheimer's disease or any other type of dementia. Delaying the onset of dementia by five years would halve the number of deaths from the condition, saving 30,000 lives a year.

Dementia research is desperately underfunded. The government invests eight times less in dementia research than cancer research.

In 2007-08 cancer research received £248.2 million, while dementia research received just £32.34 million.

Alzheimer's Society invests over £6 million in dementia research to improve care for people today and find a cure for tomorrow.

Where can you go for advice and information?

Call the Alzheimer's Society helpline on 0845 300 0336 or visit the website alzheimers.org.uk.