The Scottish Government have published the first annual report on Scotland's National Dementia Strategy, and also produced Standards of Care:
Alzhiemers and Dementia
People of any age can develop dementia, although it is more common in people over 65. Early onset dementia is quite rare and affects people in their 40's and 50's. There are over 50,000 people in Scotland with some degree of dementia.
There are many kinds of dementia. The most common causes are Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia.
Alzheimer's dementia is caused by abnormal accumulation of protein in the brain. This leads to damage to individual brain cells one by one, so that the brain can't work as well as it used to.
With Vascular Dementia there are problems with the blood supply to brain cells. The cause of poor blood supply can range from stroke disease through to progressive narrowing of the blood supply to the brain
To find our more about dementia, treatment and how it progresses visit the NHS Health Scotland website
