Clear answers about dementia and caregiving
Practical help for the day to day, and plain explanations of the medical side. Every article is written for families and backed by trusted sources.
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Understanding dementia
What dementia is, its types, and what causes it.
4 articles
Symptoms, early signs & diagnosis
Spotting early signs and how dementia is diagnosed.
5 articles
Genetics & risk
Family history, inherited risk, and what you can control.
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Stages, progression & life expectancy
How dementia progresses and what to expect over time.
1 article
Prevention & brain health
What the evidence says about reducing risk.
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Caregiving & daily life
Practical, lived-experience help for day-to-day care.
8 articlesGenetics & risk
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If my parent has dementia, will I get it too?
Probably not just because of them. A parent with Alzheimer's raises your risk compared with someone without that history, but most children of people with dementia never develop it. For the common late-onset form, age and lifestyle matter more than family history.
Is dementia hereditary?
For most people, dementia is not directly inherited. Having a parent or sibling with Alzheimer's raises your risk somewhat, but genes are only one factor alongside age and lifestyle. Rare single-gene forms that are strongly inherited do exist, but they account for a small share of all cases.
Should I get genetic testing for dementia?
For most people, no. Routine genetic testing, such as the APOE gene, cannot tell you whether or when you will get dementia, so it rarely changes anything. Testing mainly makes sense when there is a strong family history of early-onset dementia, and it is best done with genetic counseling.