What do we mean by Young Onset Dementia?
Young Onset Dementia occurs when symptoms of dementia begin before a person reaches 65 years of age. It is still considered young onset if a diagnosis happens after the age of 65, as long as symptoms began before reaching 65.
Younger people with dementia;
- Often experience less common forms of dementia (other than Alzheimer’s disease)
- May still be working
- Have other life experiences and needs which mean that the support needed is likely to be significantly different to that needed by people with a diagnosis of dementia at an older age.
Dementia at a younger age is much less common that it is at an older age. It is estimated that around 350 people living in Worcestershire have young onset dementia compared with around 8,000 people over the age of 65.
Young Dementia UK, an organisation dedicated to improving understanding of young onset dementia in the UK, provides information about the facts and figures of young onset dementia. You can access this information by following this link http://www.youngdementiauk.org/young-onset-dementia-facts-figures
This link provides information on;
- Prevalence
- Common types of young onset dementia
- The impact of young onset dementia on family
- The importance of language