Myth busting dementia: How many of these do you know?

Dementia; we've all heard of it, many of us probably know someone affected by it and yet it's widely misunderstood. To mark Dementia Action Week, we've put this list together to dispel some of the most common dementia myths.

Myth number one: Alzheimer's Disease and dementia are the same. False! This is a common dementia myth and people are often surprised to find out that the answer is 'no'.

Dementia is a word used to describe a set of symptoms that occur when the brain becomes damaged by disease. Some of these symptoms may include memory loss, language difficulties, and issues with planning and problem solving.

Alzheimer's Disease is a physical disease of the brain and is just one of many diseases which causes dementia. Alzheimer's Disease creates a loss of connections between nerve cells in the brain due to a build-up of proteins which form 'plaques' and 'tangles' within the nerve cells; eventually causing these nerve cells to die and a reduction of brain tissue.

Myth Number Two: Dementia only affects older people False! While the likelihood of developing a dementia increases with age, there are over 40,000 people under the age of 65 living in the UK with dementia right now. Dementia in younger adults is called early-onset dementia or young-onset dementia.

Myth Number Three: Dementia is memory loss. False! When thinking about dementia symptoms, the first thing most people think of is memory loss.

While this can be one of the first symptoms, there may be changes in mood and behaviour, difficulties with speech and language, or visual perception difficulties.

In some of the rarer forms of dementia, memory loss may not be one of the main or initial symptoms at all.

Myth Number Four: Dementia is inherited. False! While genetics do play a role in some dementias, these are in a minority, with most cases having no strong genetic link.

Myth Number Five: It's inevitable that people with dementia will have to live in a care home. False!

Many people with a dementia diagnosis continue to live in their own home, potentially for years or right up until the end of their lives.

There are many factors that can determine this but introducing the right care at the right time can play a huge part in keeping people with dementia safe and well.

Dementia support services such as Alzheimer's Society and Adult Social Care, along with regular GP reviews, all have a role to play in providing timely support, care and information for both the person with the diagnosis and their family/carers.

Dementia care at home often offers reassurance and peace of mind- both to the person with the diagnosis and their family- and can be enough to enable that person to remain in the familiar environment they love – their own home.

There is also the option of live-in dementia care, which can be a cost-effective alternative to a care home and provides 24 hour one to one support.

At Home Instead we equip our CAREGivers with City and Guilds accredited dementia training, ensuring that they have a solid foundation of knowledge when supporting a client with dementia.

This training, combined with the client's bespoke care plan, enables our staff to provide person centred and relationship led support and care – looking beyond the diagnosis to see the person.

We also produce a free publication to equip families with tips and ideas when supporting a loved one living with dementia.

For more information on our dementia care services and resources please contact us on 01884 218888.