Essex County Council: Dementia Strategy 2022-2027 consultation EASY READ

What is dementia?

Dementia is an illness in the brain.

People with dementia may have:

Difficulty in concentrating and remembering things

Changes to their mood and behaviour

Problems with communicating and working things out

Dementia can be caused by:

A disease called Alzheimer’s

A small stroke

A stroke is when something stops blood getting to your brain.

Other problems with the blood supply to the brain

Other diseases like Parkinson’s disease.

Parkinson’s disease is a long-term disease of your nerves. Some people may experience shaking with this disease.

Dementia is also linked to:

High blood pressure

Not getting enough exercise

Smoking

Eating the wrong food

Drinking too much alcohol

Heart disease

Diabetes

Most people with dementia are over 65 years old.

A few people start with dementia at a younger age.

Dementia and learning disabilities

People with learning disabilities are more likely to get dementia than other people.
They are also more likely to get dementia at a younger age.

1 in 3 people with Down’s Syndrome will get dementia in their 50s.

Symptoms of dementia may look different in people with learning disabilities.

This can make it more difficult to realise that any changes are because of dementia.