This is a comprehensive, readable introduction to the subject of dementia intended for use by all health professionals involved in the provision of care for this group of patients, both in the hospital and in the community. It presents a broad look at the wide range of ways in which dementia can affect the lives of those with the illness and their carers. The author combines a compassionate understanding of the problems of dementia with a reassuringly positive attitude to the ways in which those problems may be faced and coped with. Although academically based it is written in such clear language that it remains accessible to carers and other non-health professionals with an interest in the subject.