AC/DC's Guitarist Malcolm Young is Reportedly Receiving Treatment for Dementia; Facts About Dementia

The AC/DC star Malcolm Young is reportedly receiving treatment for dementia. Sydney Morning Herald reported that the 61 year old AC/DC co-founder and lead guitarist has been admitted to a full time care facility.

In the month of April it was announced that he would be taking a break due to health reasons. However, his band mates confirmed on Wednesday, that he would be retiring due to an undisclosed illness.

Express, home of the Daily and Sunday Express, reported that Young would not be continuing the tour with the rest of his AC/DC band mates and he would not be recording with them either. "Unfortunately due to the nature of Malcolm's illness, he will not be rejoining the band," Albert Music and Sony said in their statement that was released earlier this week.

On Friday, a source told Sydney Morning Herald that Young has been taken to Lulworth House, an aged care facility in Sydney. It also reported that prior to this he was being treated at Sydney's Elizabeth Bay that is famous for treating degenerative diseases. The 61 year old is reportedly suffering from dementia.

The source further told the paper that he was suffering from short term memory loss. He would not be able to recollect that you met him a minute ago. The source closed to Malcolm's family said if someone was in the room with him and walked out. If the person returned to the room after a minute he wouldn't remember what had happened and that the person had walked in a minute ago. He has been put in full time care by his wife, Linda, the source added.

Dementia is a disorder that is highly severe and is degenerative. It affects the brain; WHO states that the disease commonly affects older people and it is a normal part of ageing. According to the Alzheimer's Society, memory loss, confusion and problems with speech and understanding are the symptoms of dementia. It is a terminal condition. Nearly 35.6 million people are affected with the disease. It stated that the numbers would only increase in the future. Every twenty years the number of people affected with dementia doubles.

Alzheimer's too is a form of dementia. There is no cure for any form of dementia. Alzheimer's Society states that research for the development of the treatment of the disease is underfunded. However, if the onset of dementia is delayed by five years, it could save 30,000 lives a year, it stated.

Malcolm, too, has been seen to have the symptoms of dementia, the source revealed. According to the Express however, AC/DC has not yet commented on the nature of his illness.

AC/DC's new project, "Rock or Bust" will be released in late November, and it will be the first project in which Young would not be playing. Young helped form the band 40 years ago and since then this would be their first album in which he has not been featured. AC/DC is planning a tour to promote "Rock or Bust," which would be the band's first album since their Black Ice released in 2008. Black Ice sold eight million copies in 31 countries.

The Daily Mail reported that Malcolm's nephew, Steve Young and lead guitarist Angus Young, would be replacing Malcolm Young.