Dementia Gateway: Young onset dementia
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Key issues
How common is it, and what are the big issues facing younger people?
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Diagnosis and early stages for younger people
Early signs and the importance of getting a diagnosis.
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Services and support for younger people
Where do services fit in the health and social care system?
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Living with young onset dementia
Building a new life after diagnosis.
People who develop young onset dementia – that is, dementia diagnosed before a person is 65 years old – face many challenges. Obtaining a diagnosis and accessing age-appropriate services are two big issues, and there are many more. Despite, or perhaps because of, these difficulties younger people have been at the forefront of the growing campaign by people with dementia to change society's attitudes towards dementia.
Explore the links above to help you expand your skills and knowledge of this theme.
I think we're trying to reach out and educate everyone, and to say that dementia is not the end. When you get the diagnosis, it doesn't mean you have to crawl into the corner and die.
Agnes Houston, a woman with dementia (The Guardian, 2008)
