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Anthea Rowan

This is the 81st instalment in a series on dementia, including the research into its causes and treatment, advice for carers, and stories of hope.
My mother often used to wonder whether she was on a ship. As we gazed across the lawn at home, she would ask, “Am I on a ship?”
Sometimes it was her first question when she woke in the morning.
“Is this my cabin?” she would ask as she looked around her. “I used to share it with somebody. I wonder where she’s gone.”
Or: “Will we dock soon?”
I used to think her “ship” was a stuck memory of childhood; she often travelled with her family by sea, between India and Ireland, later from Cape Town, in South Africa, to Italy. Dementia erases more recent memories first; the last oldest stick longest. Is that why she was imagining she was aboard a “ship”?
I have learned since she died that, in referencing her “ship”, she may have been trying to communicate something of how she felt to me.
Studies show people with dementia often invent words and phrases, even harness metaphor – as my mother was probably doing – to communicate experiences.
Flaminia Miyamasu, an associate professor of English for medical purposes at the University of Tsukuba in Japan, studied metaphor use in early-onset dementia, analysing more than 1,100 metaphoric expressions. Some described an experience of disintegration, characterised by suffering from within, images of “loss, fragmentation, vanishing”. Others described threats, “monster, fog, violence”.

By far the most common metaphors she uncovered, though, referenced battles and journeys.
“I wonder how much longer I am to carry on travelling?” one participant puzzled. And, incredibly, many expressed being at the mercy of water: “I feel as though I am on a boat in rough seas.”
Gaps in my mother’s language had begun to reveal themselves long before I was aware she had embarked on her “ship”, and many months before I was aware of the extent of her cognitive decline.
Professor James Rowe, a professor of cognitive neurology at Britain’s Cambridge University , says subtle changes in language often occur early in Alzheimer’s. It can be so subtle and so early that they might not be noticed, but they can offer an important window into the strange world of living with dementia, he says, and remind us of a person’s humanity and their sense of humour.
They also illustrate “how the brain is so creative in finding on-the-fly solutions when the mental dictionary lets us down”.

Alzheimer’s disease – which accounts for up to 70 per cent of dementia cases – is marked early by atrophy in the temporal lobes, regions that play a crucial role in supporting semantic knowledge: our comprehension of words and concepts. As the disease progresses, this knowledge becomes fragmented and increasingly difficult to retrieve.
Dr Elizabeth Rochon, professor emeritus in the department of speech-language pathology at the University of Toronto, in Canada, explains how the brain conjures the strange linguistic creativity Rowe described.
“Some of the ways we hold onto semantic knowledge”, our knowledge of words and general factual information, “and how we categorise that knowledge, is via the properties into which we group it, for example by shape or size, colour or use,” Rochon says.
I am struck by a memory as Rochon says this: “What can I see underneath that plant’s feathers?” Mum asked over breakfast one day, pointing towards lemongrass in a pot.
“Leaves, Mum, you mean beneath its leaves,” I recall saying.

In dementia, says Irish neuroscientist Dr Sabina Brennan, author of Still Me (2025), a guide to caring in dementia, “language networks can lose efficient access to word meanings, but other pathways – associations, sounds, images – may remain partly intact and can support retrieval. That’s why your mother could creatively substitute ‘feather’ for ‘leaf’.”
Brennan, whose own mother had dementia, tells me an interesting story that also underlines the way sufferers might communicate an experience in ways we might not at first understand.
On visiting her mother one day in hospital, Brennan was entertained by her recounting of the day: she told Brennan about having been up into space in a spaceship. It turns out she had been taken to the top floor of the building for an MRI.
Brennan elaborates on Rochon’s point that we hang onto knowledge by linking things through their features – colour, shape, size, location or use.
“The brain organises knowledge like flowers in a garden, clustered by colour, height, or where they grow best, so patterns, not lists, guide our recall,” Brennan says. “Or fresh food in a supermarket or market – fruit/vegetables/fish – we don’t store a list of where we will find the specific fruit we want, we know how and where items are grouped.”

In dementia, a person may be in the right place for a word but reach for the wrong one.
It was the same with my mother’s use of “feather” for “leaf”, Brennan says.
“A specific shape that floats got her to the word feather,” she says. “The categories like shape and form come first as the brain processes incoming signals through vision, for example, the interpretation and meaning come later in the process.”
Regina Jokel, a speech-language pathologist at Baycrest Health Sciences in Toronto, agrees.
It is obvious to us that leaves and feathers, although very different, share certain attributes, shape to a certain extent, maybe even size, and they both float through the air, she says.
“Your mother produced and pronounced the word correctly, so that tells me that she was able to connect the word she retrieved from her semantics to her phonological representations and say ‘feathers’,” Jokel says. “What seems likely is that she was not able to retrieve specific information in her semantic system that would have allowed her to differentiate leaves from feathers.”
These language workarounds, she says, are inventions that result from not being able to access the desired word but making use of whatever is still within one’s grasp.

“Initially, those substitutes are close relatives, words that share semantic or perceptual features, but as language unravels, the substitutions become more distant,” Jokel says. “It is like casting a fishing rod in a semantic pool and sometimes getting the right word, sometimes missing it and getting something that’s floating close by.”
As the brain degrades, neurons stop communicating efficiently, so synaptic connections are inconsistent.
“To get to the right word, the electric impulse needs to get to the right pool of neurons,” she says. “When they slowly die in dementia, the impulse may stray and take another path that is still available” – but that pathway may lead to a different word or phrase.
As carers, rather than be frustrated by this, we can embrace those changes, Jokel says, and see them “as a window into preserved imagination, emotional insight and reconfigured communication”.
People continue to interpret and express their experiences through creative linguistic forms, particularly when conventional forms become unavailable, she adds.
“Recognising these expressions as meaningful contributions allows us to switch from seeing deficits to appreciating remaining strengths,” Jokel says. “Paying attention to the new emerging forms allows us to understand how a person with dementia sees the world.”
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Neuroscientist Dr Sabina Brennan with her mother, who had dementia. “The brain organises knowledge like flowers in a garden, clustered by colour, height, or where they grow best, so patterns, not lists, guide our recall,” Brennan says. Photo: courtesy of Dr Sabina Brennan

Flaminia Miyamasu, from the University of Tsukuba in Japan, studied metaphor use in early-onset dementia, analysing more than 1,100 metaphoric expressions. Photo: medico-academy.com

Professor James Rowe, a cognitive neurologist, says subtle changes in language in Alzheimer’s sufferers illustrate “how the brain is so creative in finding on-the-fly solutions when the mental dictionary lets us down”. Photo: alzheimersresearchuk.org

Dr Elizabeth Rochon says we hold onto semantic knowledge through the properties into which we group words, for example, by shape or size, colour or use. Photo: uhn.ca

Neuroscientist Dr Sabina Brennan pictured at her home in Ireland. Photo: Lorraine Teevan

Anthea Rowan (right) with her mother. Photo: courtesy of Anthea Rowan

Health benefits of quitting alcohol, from weight loss to slowing ageing

Jodi Clark, seen in January 2023 and this month,  who now runs online groups, challenges and retreats for women, has lost 38kg (84lb) since she stopped drinking more than 3 years ago. Photo: Jodi Clark

David Wilson, whose Instagram handle is @soberdave, quit alcohol more than seven years ago after nearly four decades of regular drinking. Now he is helping others who want to stop and improve their health. Photo: David Wilson

Wilson shares motivational nuggets and more on his Instagram account @soberdave. Photo: Instagram/soberdave

Jodi Clark in January 2023 (left) and in January 2026 (right). She has lost 38kg since she stopped drinking more than three years ago. Photo: Jodi Clark

Clark says she used to be a “middle-lane drinker”, someone who binged at the weekend but restricted drinking during the week. Photo: Jodi Clark

Millie Gooch, founder of the Sober Girl Society, is always keen to share tips on how to fully embrace sobriety.  Photo: Instagram/sobergirlsociety

Nurse practitioner Cynthia Thurlow has seen how alcohol can ruin lives. Photo: Cynthia Thurlow

David Nutt, professor of neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London, says alcohol “pickles your brain”. Photo: Imperial College London

Singaporean dementia study links Alzheimer’s to clogged ‘brain drains’, but what are they?

An elderly Asian woman with dementia is comforted by her daughter. A study of nearly 1,000 Singaporeans found that those showing early signs of Alzheimer’s tended to have “enlarged perivascular spaces”, or blocked glymphatic channels, the pathways through which cerebrospinal fluid washes away toxins from the brain. Photo: Shutterstock

Justin Ong (back) of NTU’s Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine and associate professor Nagaendran Kandiah of Singapore’s Dementia Research Centre researched glymphatic channels – microscopic pathways that help remove waste and toxins from brain tissue – for the study. Photo: NTU Singapore

Amyloid plaques are shown forming between neurons. Photo: Shutterstock

The researchers readily identified the clogged “brain drains” using MRI scans. Photo: Shutterstock 

How to prevent dementia, and 10 things to ask a doctor to help safeguard your brain health

Doctors should be able to answer your questions about dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

Having regular social interaction is one of the ways to reduce the risk of dementia as we age. Photo: Shutterstock

Sleep and dementia are linked, research suggests. A University College London study of people in their fifties and sixties found that those who got less than seven hours a night were at greater risk. Photo: Shutterstock

Studies show poor mental health can increase the risk of dementia later – even decades later – in life. Photo: Shutterstock

There is a plethora of research that suggests regular exercise significantly reduces the risk of dementia, so it is recommended to stay active. Photo: Shutterstock

Talk to your doctor about medication, for example if you struggle to afford it or are not sure whether you are taking it as prescribed. Photo: Shutterstock

How hiking 5,700km solo across America put life into perspective for young consultant

Jessica Guo quit her job to hike across America. Her trek ended on September 19, at the northern terminus of the Great Divide Trail, at the Kakwa Lake terminus marker for the 54th parallel in Kakwa Provincial Park in British Columbia, Canada. Photo: Jessica Guo

Guo became the first woman to hike a continuous route linking the Continental Divide Trail in the United States with the Great Divide Trail in Canada. Photo: Joseph Scheller Photography / courtesy of the Montana Standard

Guo hikes near the Waterton Lakes National Park in the province of Alberta, Canada. Photo: Substack/jessicaguo

Guo on the Great Divide Trail. Photo: Instagram/whereisjessi.ca

Guo treks through a mountain forest on her solo trek, carrying everything she needs on her back. Photo: Jessica Guo 

Guo reaches the US-Canada border on her 30th birthday. Photo: Joseph Scheller Photography courtesy of the Montana Standard

Jessica Guo with her parents, who arrived to take her home at the end of her trek. Photo: Jessica Guo

Lifestyle

Health & Wellness

Health

Family & Relationships

Decoding dementia

How caring for a parent with dementia taught me about symptoms, prevention and why seeking out the latest research is so important

Author Anthea Rowan (right) with her mother.

Author Anthea Rowan (right) with her mother, who has Alzheimer’s disease, the most common type of dementia. Photo: Anthea Rowan

Anthea with her mother. Photo: Anthea Rowan

Studies suggest that regular exercise lowers the risk of cognitive decline by 35 per cent. Photo: Getty Images

Staying active can help prevent or delay the onset of dementia, studies suggest. Photo: Shutterstock

Why should you have a brain scan to test for dementia when there’s no cure? Knowing can help you delay its onset, neurologist says

It can be daunting to get a brain scan to test for signs of dementia, but a neurologist behind new research reveals the advantages of knowing early. Photo: Shutterstock

New research has found that dementia can be detected as early as nine years before symptoms manifest, and this could have significant implications for treatment. Photo: Shutterstock

Timothy Rittman, the neurologist who led the dementia research at Cambridge University. Photo: Cambridge University

A brain scan showing signs of dementia. Photo: Getty Images

Lizzie Perry, founder of This is Dementia, with her father, who was diagnosed with the disease at 58. Photo: This is Dementia

The approval in the US of a new drug that slows the onset of Alzheimer’s makes Rittman hopeful about the future of dementia treatment. Photo: Cambridge University

Why women are more likely to have dementia than men as they age, and how exercise and engagement can help lower your risk

Women may be at a greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s than men for a number of reasons: biological, societal or cultural. Experts suggest exercise and social engagement can help offset the risk. Photo: Getty Images

The spread of tau – the protein that clumps into the telltale tangles of dementia – may contribute to Alzheimer’s disease. Photo: Shutterstock

Female twins with a male co-twin were less likely to be diagnosed with dementia than female twins with a female co-twin. Photo: Shutterstock

Prenatal care and monitoring pregnant women’s health is key, as it may impact cognition and dementia risk in later life. Photo: Shutterstock

Taking regular exercise is key for women – and men – to reduce the risk of dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

How high or low blood pressure increases the risk of dementia, and why it’s never too late, or early, to adopt a healthy lifestyle to manage it

Having blood pressure that is too high or too low has been linked to a higher risk of dementia, but it’s never too late to start living a healthy lifestyle that will help maintain optimal blood pressure. Photo: Shutterstock


An optimal blood pressure reading, easily measured with a home device, is around 120/80. Photo: Shutterstock

Dr Ruth Peters was lead author of a study looking at the links between blood pressure and dementia. Photo: Dr Ruth Peters

It’s never too late, or too early, to start thinking about brain health and living a healthy lifestyle. Photo: Shutterstock

Problems with reasoning, planning, judgment, memory and other thought processes may result from damage caused by impaired blood flow to the brain – which may be brought on by high blood pressure. Photo: Shutterstock

6 dementia fighting tips from Dr Sanjay Gupta and Marc Milstein, experts on brain health – walk, talk, read, learn, relax, and eat and drink properly

We can protect ourselves against the risk of dementia with some simple lifestyle practices. Exercising (above), eating a good diet, drinking less alcohol, socialising, reading more and trying new things all help keep the brain sharp, say brain experts including Dr Sanjay Gupta. Photo: Shutterstock 

The cover of one of Dr Sanjay Gupta’s book. Photo: Simon & Schuster

The cover of Marc Milstein’s book. Photo: Marc Milstein

Drink alcohol mindfully and ask yourself why you are having that drink. Photo: Shutterstock

Learning new things creates new brain cell connections and helps keep your mind sharp. Photo: Shutterstock

Reading is good for brain health. Try to read a wide range of book styles, and join a book club to discuss with others what you are reading. Photo: Shutterstock

During sleep, our brains are restored and repaired, so relaxing is important if we’re going to get those seven hours of quality sleep. Photo: Shutterstock

Relationships keep us engaged, interested and interesting, and may help prevent dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

‘Like a light switch’: how sundowning syndrome affects dementia sufferers – and their carers; what it is and tips for how to cope

A person with dementia may experience “sundowning” syndrome - towards the end of the day they become more agitated, confused, panicked, resistant to instruction and restless. This affects their carers, too. Photo: Shutterstock

A person in bed, unable to sleep. Conservative estimates suggest about 20 per cent of dementia patients experience sundowning at some point.

Trey Todd is a neuroscientist at the University of Wyoming. Photo: Trey Todd

Sundowning was coined in 1987 by Lois Evans of Penn Nursing at Pennsylvania University. Photo: University of Pennsylvania

The pineal gland in our brain produces melatonin, which is what helps prompt us to sleep and awaken. In a broken system it is disrupted. Melatonin supplements might help fight sundowning. Photo: Shutterstock

Taking a patient with sundowning syndrome for a walk at a consistent time each day, morning or evening, may alleviate symptoms. Photo: Shutterstock

Getting out into the daylight early in the day is good for our sleep patterns, whether we have dementia or not. Photo: Shutterstock

Healthy marriage, healthy mind? Dementia risk lower for people married a long time, studies show; expert suggests why

Research suggests that people who have stayed married for a long time have a lower risk for dementia because they feel less lonely, are more likely to eat well and exercise more, and are more cognitively engaged. Photo: Shutterstock

Vegard Skirbekk is a researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. Photo: Norwegian Institute of Public Health

Anthea Rowan’s parents on their wedding day. Photo: courtesy of Anthea Rowan

A long-time married partner represents a security that provides a buffer against stressors. Photo: Shutterstock

Anthea Rowan and her husband on their wedding day. Photo: courtesy of Anthea Rowan

If you live with a partner long term, you are more likely to develop healthy daily patterns, to eat well and exercise more. Photo: Shutterstock

‘Dementia village’ that’s the first of its kind helps residents live normal lives, has a restaurant, theatre and supermarket – and no one wears a white coat

Residents are free to live their lives as they like at the world’s first “dementia village”, The Hogeweyk in The Netherlands. Photo: The Hogeweyk

The Hogeweyk, a “dementia villlage” in the Netherlands, provides care and a familiar and safe environment in which people with dementia live while retaining their own identity and autonomy as much as possible. Photo: The Hogeweyk

Jannette Spiering is the senior managing adviser and co-founder at The Hogeweyk in the Netherlands, which offers “humanising care for people with dementia”. Photo: The Hogeweyk

Residents relax around the fountain in the theatre square at The Hogeweyk. Photo: The Hogeweyk 

Residents of The Hogeweyk respond positively to their increased autonomy. Photo: The Hogeweyk

Residents at the healthcare facility take part in a painting class. Photo: The Hogeweyk

Hearing loss dramatically raises the risk of dementia, so why are so many people in midlife doing nothing to prevent it? A test is easy to arrange

Hearing loss has been linked to a higher risk of dementia and cognitive decline,  say experts, who recommend testing for preventable hearing problems (above).  Photo: Getty Images

Alison Huang, a senior research associate at the Cochlear Centre at Johns Hopkins, in the US, says hearing loss makes the brain work harder to process sounds. Photo: Johns Hopkins

Jiang Fan from the School of Public Health at China’s Shandong University. Photo: Shandong University

Checking your hearing in midlife is crucial, and can help you stave off cognitive deterioration. Photo: Shutterstock

Can HRT reduce dementia risk? New hormone replacement therapy studies say yes, upending 2002 reports

HRT use has been linked to better cognition, blood flow and brain size and a reduction in all neurodegenerative disease in recent studies. Photo: Shutterstock

HRT (hormone replacement therapy) use has been linked to better cognition, blood flow and brain size and a reduction in dementia and other neurodegenerative disease in recent studies. Photo: Shutterstock

If HRT is started after the age of 65, brain cells will have already been deprived of oestrogen for many years. This could mean there is a decline in neuronal connections – the brain’s messaging system. Photo: Shutterstock

HRT was found to be most effective when introduced early in menopause, says Anne Marie Minihane, director of the UK’s Norwich Institute of Healthy Ageing at the University of East Anglia. Photo: University of East Anglia

Dr Andrea Kwakowsky from at the University of Galway in Ireland believes the “critical period” for starting HRT is within five years of menopause. Photo: University of Galway

How can you prevent dementia? Free brain health online tool teaches the risks and gives essential tips on avoiding it

The new free “Think Brain Health Check-in” online tool from Alzheimer’s Research UK doesn’t test your memory but checks how well you’re looking after your brain and gives tips to help prevent dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

Dr Susan Mitchell is head of policy at Alzheimer’s Research UK. Photo: Dr Susan Mitchell

The Think Brain Health Check-in asks how often you challenge your brain - and then highlights why challenging your brain is key to staving off dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

Getting a good night’s sleep every night is one way to lower the risk of developing dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

Up to 40 per cent of dementia cases could be prevented if people were mindful of the risk factors for the illness and made lifestyle changes to prevent them. Photo: Shutterstock

Can lack of sleep raise dementia risk? Yes, studies say – but with one exception

Having only five hours of sleep a night can increase dementia risk by 30 per cent for adults over 50, one study says. Photo: Shutterstock

One tip to overcome insomnia is to avoid clock-watching. Photo: Shutterstock

Taking a warm shower or bath in the hour or so before bed may help you fall asleep – and stay asleep. Photo: Shutterstock

Professor Roger Wong of the department of public health and preventive medicine at the State University of New York’s Upstate Medical University. Photo: Roger Wong

Sleep aids can heighten dementia risk, Wong says. Photo: Shutterstock

Can’t sleep? Try getting up and engaging in cognitively stimulating activities, like reading or making jam. Photo: Shutterstock

Dementia and ACB scores: how common prescription and over-the-counter drugs raise the risk of memory loss and cognitive decline

Certain common drugs, including antihistamines, antacids, antidepressants and anti-anxiety medicines, can disrupt the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, dubbed the “memory molecule” increasing the risk of dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

The writer, Anthea Rowan, with her mother. Photo: Anthea Rowan

Taking medications that block the action of acetylcholine can lead to memory loss, problems with spatial awareness, and cognitive decline. Photo: Shutterstock

Studies have found that anticholinergic drugs carried “significant’ dementia risk” for the over-65s. Photo: Shutterstock

Doctors need to be mindful of the risks posed by anticholinergic drugs, especially to an already at-risk population: the over 65s. Photo: Shutterstock

How to safeguard your ageing brain: build ‘cognitive reserve’ with mental and physical exercise, and stay active and socially engaged

The phrase ‘use it or lose it’ is not just a hypothesis, it’s a basic biological fact that holds as true for our brains as our muscles or bones. Photo:
Shutterstock

Our brains, like our muscles need regular use to stay healthy and flexible, say experts, and keeping our brains active builds our ‘cognitive reserve’, helping us to stave off dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

Geriatric psychiatrist Dr David Merrill recommends the active pursuit of activities that keep the brain sharp to stave off dementia. Photo: Dr David Merrill

Dorina Cadar says cultural and social engagement, reading, doing crossword puzzles, visiting art galleries, clubs and cinemas, and volunteering all increase our cognitive reserve. Photo: Dorina Cadar

Visiting an art gallery or doing something new and different are good ways to build up cognitive reserve. Photo: Shutterstock 

How yoga benefits dementia patients: new study uncovers brain-health boosts, supporting earlier research

Yoga has health benefits including better brain neuroplasticity, improved sleep quality, and more robust cardiorespiratory fitness, all of which help people experiencing cognitive decline or dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

Dr Diana Karamacoska is a research support programme fellow in healthy ageing and dementia at the NICM Health Research Institute at Western Sydney University. Photo: Courtesy of Diana Karamacoska

Yoga could be helpful in managing brain inflammation, particularly with its mindfulness component. Photo: Shutterstock

Wendy Du is the founder of Shan Studios in Hong Kong. Photo: Wendy Du/Shan Studios

Du has maintained a daily yoga practice for 10 years. Photo: Courtesy of Shan Studios

5 nutrients good for brain health that can delay dementia, or prevent it, and foods to eat with a high concentration of them

Research has identified some key nutrients we need in our diets to maintain good cognitive function and delay or prevent the onset of dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

Eating healthy isn’t just good for our bodies, it’s good for our brains, too. Photo: Shutterstock

Zahinoor Ismail, of the O’Brien Institute for Public Health at the University of Calgary. Photo: University of Calgary

Kale with pine nuts is a dish high in magnesium, and so good for brain function. Photo: Shutterstock

Oatmeal, and other wholegrain foods such as brown rice and quinoa, are rich in magnesium. Photo: Shutterstock

Mackerel is a fish that is especially high in magnesium. Photo: Shutterstock

Why you have to keep smiling at a dementia patient – you’ll feel better and it could evoke a positive response

A smile can bring a smile in return from a dementia patient, and may make them more amenable to your requests. Photo: Shutterstock

Author Anthea Rowan with her mother, who suffered from dementia. As a carer you’ve got to keep smiling, an expert on the condition tells her - and it’s not for the reason you might think. Photo: Anthea Rowan

Timothy Kwok, professor of geriatric medicine at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Director of the Jockey Club Centre for Positive Ageing. Photo: Timothy Kwok

Dementia sufferers cannot be reasoned with, and their emotions can run the gamut from highly positive to negative in the course of a day. Photo: Shutterstock

Many dementia sufferers end up in residential care homes because caring for them is difficult and time-consuming – especially for family members with jobs. Photo: Shutterstock

The living room at Jockey Club Centre for Positive Ageing, in Hong Kong. Photo: Jockey Club Centre for Positive Ageing

‘An attack by aliens’: how to deal with a dementia patient’s delusions – experts’ tips for carers

Carers often find it challenging to calm a dementia patient down when they suffer from paranoia, hallucinations and delusions. Experts offer advice on what to do. Photo: Shutterstock

It can be heartbreaking for a carer, especially if they are a family member, when a dementia patient cannot recognise them. Photo: Shutterstock

Disinhibition, poor control or restraint over emotions or actions, is common in patients with advanced dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

Professor Fiona Kumfor is a neuropsychologist at the University of Sydney in Australia. Photo: Fiona Kumfor

When a dementia patient cannot remember where they put something, they might jump to the conclusion that it has been stolen. Photo: Shutterstock

Dementia begins in the memory centres, the hippocampus and the medial temporal lobe, then moves to other parts of the brain like the temporal lobes and then into the frontal lobe and the parietal lobes. Photo: Shutterstock

Sometimes dementia patients lose the ability to recognise loved ones’ faces, and so they may say they have never met them before. Photo: Shutterstock

Timothy Kwok is a professor of geriatric medicine at Chinese University of Hong Kong. Photo: Timothy Kwok

Unravelling 2 Alzheimer’s markers: what are amyloid plaques and tau tangles, how do they form and what do they do to the brain?

“Sepia galactic storms”: the rust coloured clumps are the stained amyloid plaques, the little black squiggles are the tau tangles. Photo: Andrew Lee

Amyloid plaques and tau tangles found in Alzheimer’s sufferers’ brains are caused by build-ups of proteins that block electrical messages. 
Photo: Shutterstock

Dr Andrew Lees, author of “The Silent Plague”, is a professor of neurology at the National Hospital in London and University College London. Photo: Dr Andrew Lees

Lee’s image of “sepia galactic storms”: the rust-coloured clumps are stained amyloid plaques, the little black squiggles are tau tangles. Photo: Andrew Lee

Two neurons: a healthy one and one with Alzheimer’s disease – with tangles and disintegration of the microtubules. Photo: Shutterstock

Daniele Vigolo and his team were able to monitor the change from liquid to solid in “fused in sarcoma” proteins, and study their internal structure. Photo: Daniele Vigolo

5 Alzheimer’s experts’ lifestyle advice on avoiding and delaying the onset of the most common form of dementia

Lifestyle tips for avoiding or delaying the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, include staying active and socially engaged. Photo: Shutterstock

Keep your brain active throughout your lifetime – particularly by learning new skills as you age. Photo: Shutterstock 

Regular physical activity – even having a daily walk – can help delay the onset of dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

Dr Andrew Lees is professor of neurology at the National Hospital in London, and University College London. Photo: Dr Andrew Lees

Professor Timothy Kwok is professor of geriatric medicine at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. 

Professor Craig Ritchie is professor of the psychiatry of ageing at the University of Edinburgh. Photo: Professor Craig Ritchie

Dr David Merrill is an adult and geriatric psychiatrist and director of the Brain Health Centre at the Pacific Neuroscience Institute in California. Photo: courtesy of David Merrill

David Robinson is a consultant geriatrician at St James’s Hospital in Dublin. Photo: David Robinson

When dementia makes finding the right words hard: what carers need to know

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Experts say dementia patients often lose the ability to communicate, but the metaphors they use can help carers better understand them

Experts say dementia patients often lose the ability to communicate, but the metaphors they use can help carers better understand them