What are the causes of young onset dementia?

While the likelihood of developing dementia increases significantly with age, the condition known as young-onset dementia describes when a person is diagnosed before the age of 65. According to the Alzheimer’s Society, “Over 70,800 people in the UK are living with young-onset dementia.”

While dementia is individualised and everyone’s experiences post-diagnosis will be different, there are some significant challenges that people diagnosed under 65 may face. For instance, the person may still be working and trying to hold down a job, which dementia symptoms may make more difficult to do, as well as the financial commitments relying on it. They may also have young family and be concerned about the future and the effect their diagnosis may have on children.

Dementia is caused by a wide range of different diseases, the most common of which is Alzheimer’s disease. However, there are actually more than 100 different types of dementia and may be as many as 200, which can start in a similar way but in different parts of the brain. Rarer types include Posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) which begins in the back of the brain, usually affecting the eyes rather than memory, and Korsakoff’s syndrome, considered to be ‘alcohol-related dementia’, caused by drinking too much alcohol. PCA is typically diagnosed as young-onset dementia, with diagnosis typically happening in the person’s late 50s or early 60s. The author Terry Pratchett was famously diagnosed with PCA at the age of 59.

The Alzheimer’s Society tells us that it may be harder to get a diagnosis of dementia under the age of 65, as it will often be put down to depression, stress or menopause. Diagnosis can create feelings of shock, as someone younger may think that dementia is only diagnosed in older people and have trouble adjusting. “Someone who is diagnosed under the age of 65 needs to adjust to living with a long-term condition as a younger person. They might be concerned about the effects this will have on their family, relationships, finances and daily life.”
While some people may feel a sense of relief that they finally have a diagnosis, others may feel grief, sadness or anger. There may also be fear about the future and how they and their family will manage. Living well with dementia is a reality, though, especially in the earlier stages, and with minor adjustments, you can continue to enjoy life and spend time doing the things you always used to. Although there is no cure for dementia, drug treatments are available for some types, as well as non-drug alternatives such as talking therapies, life-story work, counselling, and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).

Helping Hands have been supporting people living with dementia since we were established in 1989; in fact, we’re considered one of the UK’s most trusted home care providers. The dementia care that we specialise in means you get to remain living in the home you love, rather than having to relocate to residential care. This helps to reduce confusion and anxiety, and because we send in the same small team of carers to you, you’ll quickly get used to them and consider them trusted friends. While your dementia may make each day harder to manage, with our carers by your side, you’ll achieve more than you could imagine, reassuring you and your loved ones that you’re living well and as independently as possible. We carefully choose our carers and ensure they have all the practical skills they’ll need to keep you safe and comfortable. We can’t train people to care from the heart though, which is why we require natural qualities of compassion and kindness from everyone we employ. We’ll tailor our visiting and live-in care to your specific needs, all of it fully regulated by the Care Quality Commission and the Care Inspectorate Wales.