The unsung heroes : celebrating dementia care through the national dementia awards

Abstract

Dementia is an umbrella term for several symptoms that are characterised by a decline in mental ability, which becomes severe enough to influence and interfere with a person’s daily living. These appear on a continuum, ranging from mild to severe dementia. These symptoms are caused by a number of mental illnesses, the most common of which is dementia of the Alzheimer’s type, also known as Alzheimer’s Disease, which accounts for 60 to 80 per cent of the known cases. Vascular dementia, which commonly occurs after a stroke, is the second most common type. Unfortunately, most of these conditions are progressive and a cure is still not available for the most common forms of dementia. [Excerpt]