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In February 2017 I will be taking part in the Brighton half marathon. I have decided to run as part of the Alzheimer’s Society and try to raise funds for this charity to help with the important work they do to help sufferers of dementia. I decided to raise funds for the Alzheimer’s Society due to my own Mum being diagnosed with dementia.

Dementia is an umbrella term. It describes the symptoms that occur when the brain is affected by certain diseases or conditions. There are over 100 different types of dementia, although some are far more common than others. All tend to cause problems with memory, language skills, information processing, mental agility, understanding and judgement.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia. During the course of the disease, the chemistry and structure of the brain changes, leading to the death of brain cells.

Vascular dementia has been brought to the attention of many recently as the character in Emmerdale, Ashley, has recently been diagnosed with this condition. The symptoms of vascular dementia can occur either suddenly, following a stroke, or over time, through a series of smaller strokes.

Dementia can also trigger other mental health problems such as personality changes, anxiety, mood swings and depression. In more advanced dementia, the person may lose the ability to get up and move, or the interest to eat and drink.

There are 850,000 people with dementia in the UK, of those 40,000 are younger people. It is estimated that by 2025 there will be 1 million people with dementia in the UK. 1 in 20 people aged over 65 have dementia, this rises to 1 in 6 people aged over 80, with two thirds of all people with dementia being women. 80 per cent of people living in care homes have a form of dementia or severe memory problems. Two thirds of people with dementia live in the community while one third live in a care home. 60,000 deaths a year are directly attributable to dementia. Delaying the onset of dementia by five years would reduce deaths directly attributable to dementia by 30,000 a year.

The Alzheimer's Society are dedicated to defeating dementia through research. They fund research into the cause, cure, care and prevention of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, to improve treatment for people today, and search for a cure for tomorrow.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.