Dementia is a term that describes a collection of symptoms including: memory loss, problems with reasoning and communication skills, a reduction in a person's abilities to carry out daily activities and care for themselves.
Becoming forgetful or confused does not necessarily mean that a person is developing dementia.
There are about 850,000 people in the UK with dementia. Some of these will be living with undiagnosed dementia as only 63% of people are formally diagnosed.
Dementia can also be a symptom of other illnesses e.g. stress, depression, or a side effect of medication. Read some key facts about Dementia here.
To find out more visit the Alzheimer's Society website.