Mayo Clinic on Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias, Revised and Updated: A guide for people with dementia and those who care for them

by Jonathon Graff-Radford, Angela Lunde M.A.

Dementia is a serious health challenge, and by some estimates the number of people living with dementia could more than double by 2050. While Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia, other types also affect adults worldwide, causing loss of cognitive functions such as memory, reasoning and judgment. The diseases that cause dementia have long been considered difficult and unrelenting, but recent advances offer hope.

Are there ways you can lower your risk of Alzheimer's Disease and other dementias? Can they be prevented? Can you live well with dementia? If so, how? This fully revised and updated third edition of Mayo Clinic on Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias provides answers to these important questions and   How do sleeplessness, hearing loss, social isolation, and other risk factors contribute to cognitive decline? How can exercise and healthy foods preserve brain function? What are the neurological changes that can occur in the brain, and how is normal aging different from aging with dementia? How are blood and genetic biomarker tests breaking new ground in diagnosing dementia? Why is it increasingly important to identify dementia in its early stages? What are the unique signs and symptoms of Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal degeneration, vascular cognitive impairment, and other dementias? What are the stages of Alzheimer’s disease? Can new and emerging medications slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease? What day-to-day coping strategies can help people live well with dementia? How can caregivers care for themselves?

312 pages, Hardcover

Published August 26, 2025

Reviews

[Galatea Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overall guide

This is a good basic introduction to Alzheimer's and all the where/ wwhat why/etc surrounding the disease.

The language is very accessible. The medical terms are defined.

It is a tad condescending in the didactic style but it is expected.

You won't come away happy after reading but it may stimulate you to learn more and have empathy for others.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a well-written book, but repetitive. Someone in the beginning stages of dementia might find this repetition helpful, so I understand. It’s a good overview of many different types of dementia with photos of brain scans to show some of the science. There are valuable chapters for caregivers as well.

[Steve Hanley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Accessible and up to date, though a bit uneven and repetitive toward the end. A helpful go-to guide for families and caregivers, even if some chapters might have been more effective as concise pamphlets.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a reference book on the various dementias. It primary talked to the reader as if they were the one getting (or concerned about getting) dementia. Some of the last chapters were aimed at caregivers, covering how to best interact with someone with dementia and how to take care of themselves, too. There was a lot of repeated information. For example, an early chapter gave a good amount of information about the different types of dementias, but this information was repeated and expanded upon in a chapter covering each type of dementia (Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal degeneration, vascular cognitive impairment, etc.).

The authors talked about possible causes of dementia, risk factors for it, the symptoms and progression, ways to test for it, and treatments for it. They also talked about things that could look like dementia but are caused by things like drug side effects. I appreciated that they covered nutrition and exercise recommendations and didn't focus solely on the drugs. Overall, I'd recommend this informative book.

I received a free ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

[Kathleen M.Barrett]

It takes a village - abundant support for any and all facing challenges in aging

This thorough treatment of how we all age and how we can be most gentle and positive with ourselves and those we accompany on this path, is written with empathy, realism, and practicality. It will be welcomed by all, whether facing a crisis or looking to be prepared to care for themselves and others in their social orbit. Well done, good and faithful scholars and experts,

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book on living with Alzheimers