I have a family member with dementia, so I will get it, too

Another common misconception is that dementia is genetic. In other words, if someone’s family member has a dementia diagnosis, they are 100% guaranteed to get the same diagnosis later in life. But in reality, this is completely untrue.

It is true that there might be a genetic component to some specific forms of dementia, but in the majority of cases, there isn’t a strong genetic link. As we discussed earlier, age has a more significant influence on dementia than genetic factors. But since everything about science is complicated, if a grandparent developed Alzheimer’s when he or she was much younger than 65, there’s a high chance of passing it on genetically.