Dementia is an umbrella term for a collection of symptoms caused by changes or damage to the brain, affecting memory, thinking, communication, problem-solving, mood and behaviour. Although more commonly diagnosed in older people, it can affect anyone; young-onset dementia, diagnosed before 65, particularly impacts those still working, raising families or managing finances.
More than 100 conditions can cause dementia, with five major types commonly recognised. Alzheimer's disease is the most common, accounting for at least 60 per cent of diagnoses, with early symptoms including gradual short-term memory loss, difficulty learning new information and confusion about time or place. Vascular dementia, the second most common, results from reduced or interrupted blood flow to the brain, often after a stroke, with risk factors including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, smoking and heart disease. Lewy body dementia can affect alertness, sleep and movement, causing fluctuating awareness, visual hallucinations and stiffness. Frontotemporal dementia often develops between 40 and 65, with personality, behaviour or language changes appearing before memory problems.
Every person's experience differs, so understanding the particular type matters when planning treatment, support and future care. Greater community awareness makes a significant difference to people living with dementia and their families.
Ava stepped off the foreshore and into the hush of the mangrove forest, where the world felt half land, half sea, and entirely magic.
