WHEN linguistics professor Dr Alice Howland forgets the word "lexicon" during a lecture, it's the latest in a series of memory lapses.

Aged just 50, she is diagnosed with early onset familial Alzheimer's disease.

Alice's eldest daughter tests positive for the Alzheimer's gene, but her unborn twins test negative. Her youngest daughter decides not to be tested. As the disease advances, Alice is unable to find her own bathroom, and doesn't recognise her daughter performing in a play.

The plot of Still Alice is fiction, but will seem all too real to anyone living with dementia. Julianne Moore won a Best Actress Oscar for the film, highlighting the impact of early Alzheimer's on a family, which will be shown in Bradford tomorrow to mark Dementia Awareness Week. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion among representatives from South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and Bradford Alzheimer's Society.

Today, organisations from across the district will join together for a one-day event, Living Well With Dementia. Held at the Bradford Hotel, it features workshops, information stalls, activities and a pop-up Well Being Cafe.

Lord Patel of Bradford, chairman of Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and Michael Smith, chairman of Bradford District Care Trust will give talks, and there will be sessions on dementia awareness, living with dementia, local research, and dementia friendly communities.

There are an estimated 850,000 million people with dementia in the UK, and by 2025 this is expected to rise to one million. In the Bradford district there are approximately 5,000 people with dementia, a figure expected to rise to 5,750 by 2025.

Of the national figure, 40,000 people are under 65. As Still Alice poignantly shows, Alzheimer's isn't exclusive to older people, but according to new research, younger sufferers may not display the signs of memory loss usually associated with the disease.

A study led by University College London analysed the records of nearly 8,000 people attending Alzheimer's clinics and found one in four under 60 didn't report memory loss as a first sign. All had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and notes were made of symptoms they had first noticed in the early stages. The average age of the group was 75, with the youngest aged 36.

The results showed younger people were more likely to report non-memory problems first, such as difficulty with judgment, problem-solving or language, or a loss of visual or spatial awareness.

Dr Eric Karran, director of research at Alzheimer's Research UK, said: "All too often Alzheimer's is thought of as being a disease characterised only by memory loss, but this study shines a light on some of the other distressing symptoms people with the disease can experience.

"A greater understanding of these symptoms could not only help people receive a diagnosis earlier, but could also aid public awareness and help improve support services."

This week's Dementia Awareness campaign is led by the Alzheimer’s Society but local people are urged to get involved. Rural Action Yorkshire is offering a Dementia Friendly Toolkit providing a guide for communities to develop dementia-friendly places such as village halls, shops, cafes and pubs.

Rural Action Yorkshire representatives recently visited Castle Howard in North Yorkshire where trustee Dawn Clements delivered dementia friendly training to house guides, as part of the charity’s commitment to making buildings across Yorkshire accessible.

Dawn, a trained Dementia Champion, delivered exercises and role play that considered the experiences of someone living with dementia, as well as a table discussion on what dementia is.

“It’s important that we’re considerate about the language we use when talking about people living with dementia," said Dawn. "They are people first and not defined by their diagnosis, so we should avoid using terms like ‘victim’ and ‘sufferer.’

“Everyone can get involved by demonstrating patience and kindness in any situation where a person could be showing signs of dementia. This might mean giving someone a little extra time to count their money in the check-out queue, or something more in-depth like changing signs so that people with a diagnosis can find their way if they're having difficulties.”

She added: “We must use uplifting and empowering language at the same time as being open and honest about the impact of dementia on people and their families. Dementia Week is all about making sure the message we send out is the right one - that you can continue to live a rich, full life with dementia, experiencing new things, people and places regardless of your diagnosis.”

* Living Well with Dementia is at the Bradford Hotel, Hall Ings, Bradford, today from 12.30pm. Still Alice will be shown tomorrow at Picturehouse Bradford at 5.45pm.

For more about Rural Action Yorkshire's Dementia Friendly Toolkit visit ruralyorkshire.org