Skip to main content
Alzheimer's Society
Alzheimer's Society
  • Shop
  • Contact us
  • Dementia professionals
Dementia Support Line
Donate now
  • About dementia
      • Worried about memory problems?
      • Five things you should know about dementia
      • The dementia guide - get your copy
      • Guide for carers - get your copy
    • Types of dementia
      • What is dementia?
      • Alzheimer's disease
      • Vascular dementia
      • Frontotemporal dementia
      • Young-onset dementia
      • More...
    • Symptoms and diagnosis
      • Dementia symptoms
      • Dementia diagnosis
      • Stages of dementia
      • Later stages of dementia
      • More...
    • Treatments
      • Dementia medication
      • Talking therapies
      • Alternative therapies
      • Person-centred care
    • Risk factors and prevention
      • How to reduce your risk of dementia
      • What increases dementia risk?
      • Is dementia hereditary?
      • More..
  • Get support
      • Dementia support services
      • Find support near you
      • Dementia support line
      • Join our online community
      • Publications and factsheets
      • Dementia together magazine
      • Dementia information in your language
    • Daily living
      • Eating and drinking
      • Toilet problems and continence
      • Washing and bathing
      • Making your home dementia friendly
      • Relationships and dementia
      • More...
    • Help with care
      • Care homes
      • Carers: looking after yourself
      • Health and social care professionals
      • Supporting a person with dementia
      • More...
    • Staying independent
      • Driving
      • Equipment, adaptations and improvements to the home
      • Using technology to help with everyday life
      • More...
    • Legal and financial
      • Paying for care
      • Benefits for people affected by dementia
      • Lasting power of attorney
      • Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards
      • Cost of living support
      • More...
  • Get involved
    • Donate
      • Make a donation
      • Leave a gift in your Will
      • Give in celebration
      • Ways to give in memory
      • Play the Lottery
      • More...
    • Events and fundraising
      • Join an event
      • Organise your own fundraising
      • Corporate partnerships
      • Request your fundraising pack
      • More...
    • Campaign with us
      • Quality social care
      • Improve dementia diagnosis
      • Wales
      • Northern Ireland
      • More...
    • Volunteer
      • Ways to volunteer
      • Support our dementia services
      • Take part in Dementia Voice opportunities
      • More...
    • Dementia Friendly Communities
      • Making your community dementia friendly
      • Dementia teaching resources
      • Make your organisation more dementia friendly
      • External training
      • More...
  • Research
      • Take part in dementia research
      • Current projects
      • Research on risk factors and prevention
      • News for researchers
      • Dementia innovation
    • Our research
      • Why do we fund research?
      • Research we are funding
      • How do we fund research?
      • More...
    • Get involved in research
      • Join Dementia Research
      • What’s it like to take part in research?
      • More...
    • For researchers
      • Why apply to us
      • Our research grants
      • Manage your grant
      • More...
  • About us
      • Who we are
      • Our strategy
      • How your money helps
      • Working for us
      • Wales
      • Northern Ireland
    • Our dementia programmes
      • Time for Dementia programme
      • Dementia Voice
      • Carer Information and Support Programme
      • More...
    • Our people
      • Ambassadors
      • Vice-Presidents and Patrons
      • Trustees
      • More...
    • Policy and influencing
      • What we think
      • National policies
      • All-Party Parliamentary Group on Dementia
      • More...
    • News and media
      • Read our blog
      • Latest news
      • Audio and video
      • More...
Contact us
  • About dementia
    • About dementia
    • Back
    • Worried about memory problems?
    • Five things you should know about dementia
    • The dementia guide - get your copy
    • Guide for carers - get your copy
    • Types of dementia
      • Types of dementia
      • Back
      • What is dementia?
      • Alzheimer's disease
      • Vascular dementia
      • Frontotemporal dementia
      • Young-onset dementia
      • More...
    • Symptoms and diagnosis
      • Symptoms and diagnosis
      • Back
      • Dementia symptoms
      • Dementia diagnosis
      • Stages of dementia
      • Later stages of dementia
      • More...
    • Treatments
      • Treatments
      • Back
      • Dementia medication
      • Talking therapies
      • Alternative therapies
      • Person-centred care
    • Risk factors and prevention
      • Risk factors and prevention
      • Back
      • How to reduce your risk of dementia
      • What increases dementia risk?
      • Is dementia hereditary?
      • More..
  • Get support
    • Get support
    • Back
    • Dementia support services
    • Find support near you
    • Dementia support line
    • Join our online community
    • Publications and factsheets
    • Dementia together magazine
    • Dementia information in your language
    • Daily living
      • Daily living
      • Back
      • Eating and drinking
      • Toilet problems and continence
      • Washing and bathing
      • Making your home dementia friendly
      • Relationships and dementia
      • More...
    • Help with care
      • Help with care
      • Back
      • Care homes
      • Carers: looking after yourself
      • Health and social care professionals
      • Supporting a person with dementia
      • More...
    • Staying independent
      • Staying independent
      • Back
      • Driving
      • Equipment, adaptations and improvements to the home
      • Using technology to help with everyday life
      • More...
    • Legal and financial
      • Legal and financial
      • Back
      • Paying for care
      • Benefits for people affected by dementia
      • Lasting power of attorney
      • Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards
      • Cost of living support
      • More...
  • Get involved
    • Get involved
    • Back
    • Donate
      • Donate
      • Back
      • Make a donation
      • Leave a gift in your Will
      • Give in celebration
      • Ways to give in memory
      • Play the Lottery
      • More...
    • Events and fundraising
      • Events and fundraising
      • Back
      • Join an event
      • Organise your own fundraising
      • Corporate partnerships
      • Request your fundraising pack
      • More...
    • Campaign with us
      • Campaign with us
      • Back
      • Quality social care
      • Improve dementia diagnosis
      • Wales
      • Northern Ireland
      • More...
    • Volunteer
      • Volunteer
      • Back
      • Ways to volunteer
      • Support our dementia services
      • Take part in Dementia Voice opportunities
      • More...
    • Dementia Friendly Communities
      • Dementia Friendly Communities
      • Back
      • Making your community dementia friendly
      • Dementia teaching resources
      • Make your organisation more dementia friendly
      • External training
      • More...
  • Research
    • Research
    • Back
    • Take part in dementia research
    • Current projects
    • Research on risk factors and prevention
    • News for researchers
    • Dementia innovation
    • Our research
      • Our research
      • Back
      • Why do we fund research?
      • Research we are funding
      • How do we fund research?
      • More...
    • Get involved in research
      • Get involved in research
      • Back
      • Join Dementia Research
      • What’s it like to take part in research?
      • More...
    • For researchers
      • For researchers
      • Back
      • Why apply to us
      • Our research grants
      • Manage your grant
      • More...
  • About us
    • About us
    • Back
    • Who we are
    • Our strategy
    • How your money helps
    • Working for us
    • Wales
    • Northern Ireland
    • Our dementia programmes
      • Our dementia programmes
      • Back
      • Time for Dementia programme
      • Dementia Voice
      • Carer Information and Support Programme
      • More...
    • Our people
      • Our people
      • Back
      • Ambassadors
      • Vice-Presidents and Patrons
      • Trustees
      • More...
    • Policy and influencing
      • Policy and influencing
      • Back
      • What we think
      • National policies
      • All-Party Parliamentary Group on Dementia
      • More...
    • News and media
      • News and media
      • Back
      • Read our blog
      • Latest news
      • Audio and video
      • More...
  • Shop
  • Contact us
  • Dementia professionals
  • Home
  • About dementia

About dementia

Find the information about dementia you need to know, including symptoms, types, treatments and risk factors.

Advice Tag: Advice.
What is dementia? Symptoms, causes and treatments

The word 'dementia' describes a set of symptoms that over time can affect memory, problem-solving, language and behaviour. Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia.

Read more
Advice Tag: Advice.
Types of dementia
Dementia is a group of symptoms. It’s caused by different diseases that damage the brain. These diseases affect the brain in different ways, resulting in different types of dementia. 
Read more
Advice Tag: Advice.
Dementia symptoms and diagnosis
Find information on some common symptoms of dementia, how it differs from normal ageing and how to go about getting a diagnosis.
Read more
Information Tag: Information.
Dementia treatments

Read our information on different types of dementia treatments, including medication and other options that may help with some symptoms, such as talking therapies.

Read more
Advice Tag: Advice.
Dementia risk factors and prevention
Some things can increase your risk of getting dementia, including your age, genes and lifestyle. There are also ways you can reduce your risk.
Read more
Advice Tag: Advice.
Five things you should know about dementia
Dementia is not a natural part of getting older and it's not just about forgetting things. Find out the five things that you should be aware of.
Read more
Sign up for dementia support by email

Our regular support email includes the latest dementia advice, resources, real stories and more.

Fields marked with (*) are required .

You can change what you receive at any time and we will never sell your details to third parties. Here’s our Privacy Policy.

Alzheimer's Society

Useful links

  • Jobs
  • Working for us
  • Publications and factsheets
  • Training and conferences
  • Blog
  • Legal information
  • Cookies
  • Accessibility statement
  • Report a website problem
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
Registered with Fundraising Regulator

All content © 2023 Alzheimer's Society.

Registered office at Alzheimer's Society, 43-44 Crutched Friars, London, EC3N 2AE

Alzheimer's Society is a registered Charity No. 296645. Registered as a company limited by guarantee and registered in England No. 2115499