What is Dementia?

Dementia is caused by a number of diseases that affect the brain. The most common is Alzheimer's but diseases also include vascular dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies and Pick's disease.

Different types of dementia affect the brain at different rates and in different ways, but other things like someone's personal circumstances, the people around them and the environment in which they live, will affect their experience of dementia. Dementia progresses in a way that is unique to each individual.

The word 'dementia' describes a set of symptoms that may include memory loss and difficulties with thinking, problem-solving or language. These changes are often small to start with, but for someone with dementia they have become severe enough to affect daily life. A person with dementia may also experience changes in their mood or behaviour. 

It is true that more people over 65 have dementia but it is not exclusively an older person's disease; younger people get dementia too.

Become a Dementia Friend

Being a Dementia Friend simply means learning more about dementia, putting yourself in the shoes of someone living with the condition, and turning your understanding into action. From visiting someone you know with dementia to being more patient in a shop queue, every action counts. Become a Dementia Friend by choosing one of the options below.

Online video

You can become a Dementia Friend by watching our online video where you will meet Teresa, Emma and Alex who are living with dementia and learn more about what it is like to live with the condition.

Attend an Information Session

Information Sessions are run by Dementia Friends Ambassadors to help you understand what it's like to live with dementia and the actions you can take. Search for your nearest Information Session.

Please note: following the Government's advice on Coronavirus (Covid-19), we have asked our volunteer Ambassadors to postpone all face-to-face Dementia Friends Information Sessions. However, Ambassadors are now running online Sessions that you can attend. Click through and book on a Session now.