September is World Alzheimer's Month, which aims to raise awareness and challenge the stigma surrounding Alzheimer's and dementia. Despite many misconceptions Alzheimer's and dementia are not the same thing.
Dementia is an umbrella term for a range of conditions affecting the brain, which get gradually worse over time. Common symptoms include problems with memory, thinking and communication, leading to a reduction in skills required for everyday living. Alzheimer's is one of these conditions.
Caroline Scates, deputy director of Admiral Nurse development at Dementia UK, said: "There are over 200 different sub-types. Alzheimer's disease is one of these and it is the most common form of dementia, caused by a build-up of proteins called amyloid and tau in the brain, which result in the death of brain cells."
