Younger Onset Dementia

Younger onset dementia is the term used when you are under 65 years old and diagnosed with any type of dementia.

Aboriginal people tend to develop dementia at a younger age compared with non-Indigenous people.

If you are diagnosed with dementia under the age of 65, you will have some different needs to older people and may experience unique challenges due to your stage of life.

People living with younger onset dementia are often:

+ physically strong and healthy

+ supporting dependent children at home who are attending school or university

+ still working and planning for retirement

+ paying off a mortgage, with other financial commitments.

Younger people living with dementia may find it difficult to get a diagnosis because many people do not expect a younger person to have dementia and commonly mistake the symptoms of dementia for other health conditions.

Accessing services might also be hard because mainstream services that are designed for younger people may not understand how to support people with younger onset dementia.

Dementia Australia can help you manage a diagnosis and connect you to services that can support you and your family.

Call the National Dementia Helpline on 1800 100 500 or visit dementia.org.au/helpline

Who gets younger onset dementia?

Dementia can happen to anybody, and while it is rarer to develop it in your midlife, it is possible to develop symptoms in your 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s.

Researchers in dementia believe younger onset dementia depends on a combination of age, genes, health and risk factors. Dementia can be hereditary, but this is rarer than other forms.

The Dementia Inclusive Ballina Alliance is further expanding their reach in shaping the future of support for young people with dementia in creating connection with the UK Dementia Forward group

Welcome to Dementia Forward, Dementia Forward, North Yorkshire’s leading dementia charity