In Julie Osaka's novel, The Swimmers, one of the main characters suffers from memory loss due to dementia.

The Mayo Clinic defines "dementia" as "a group of symptoms affecting memory, thinking and social abilities severely enough to interfere with your daily life." It's not one disease, as many different conditions can cause dementia. It's debilitating and progressive, and no form of the malady can be cured at this time (although new treatments may be able to slow a person's decline in some instances). Dementia is caused by damage to or loss of nerve cells in the brain, and symptoms vary depending on which part of the organ is impacted.

Fifty-five million people worldwide are living with dementia, and an additional 10 million cases are diagnosed each year. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it's the seventh leading cause of death from all diseases, and one of the major causes of disability and dependency among older individuals. This insidious condition affects ...