Dementia Action Week 2026: Understanding Dementia and How to Support Others
What Is Dementia Action Week and When Is It?
Dementia Action Week is an awareness raising campaign that runs every year in May. In 2026 it’s running from 18 – 24 May.
It’s run by the Alzheimer’s Society, in conjunction with other organisations across the UK, to encourage people to learn more about dementia and how to best support people living with the various types. Dementia Action Week is also part of the wider Forget Me Not Appeal that’s running in June.
Why Dementia Awareness Matters
Dementia awareness matters whether you’ve a loved one living with dementia, you’re a healthcare professional, or you just have an interest in how to better support people living with dementia.
Dementia Awareness can lead to increased detection rates because noticing changes mean people will encourage their loved ones to seek earlier diagnosis. This also increases knowledge of how to better provide support in the community.
What Is Dementia?
Dementia is an ‘umbrella term’ that encompasses a range of progressive brain conditions. There are many different types of dementia, some are more common and others much rarer. Common types of dementia include Alzheimer’s disease, Vascular dementia, and Dementia with Lewy Bodies.
Common Types and Symptoms
Alzheimer’s affects around two thirds of all people diagnosed. Early symptoms include memory problems and difficulty with reasoning. Vascular dementia symptoms often include language difficulties as well as memory problems. Lewy-Body dementia shares some symptoms in common with both Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease.
How Dementia Affects Daily Life
Dementia affects daily life because it impacts every part of a person’s thinking, reasoning, and decision-making. While someone may be able to live independently in the early stages, as their dementia progresses they will likely need more and more support to continue living at home, or will need to move into residential care.
Why Early Diagnosis Is Important
Early diagnosis of dementia is important but doesn’t always happen. This is because it can be difficult to identify what is causing symptoms, or because the person refuses medical intervention and attempts to hide their decreasing abilities.
Benefits of Getting a Diagnosis
The benefits of getting a diagnosis are huge. This is because it can answer questions for the person and their loved ones, while opening presenting opportunities for wider support. Understanding which type of dementia you have, and being able to talk about what happens next, is a great relief for many people once they are diagnosed.
Signs to Look Out For
Signs to look out for when you suspect someone may have dementia include memory loss – for instance forgetting common words, people’s names, and where they’ve placed objects, and disorientation – perhaps getting lost in formerly familiar places, or forgetting a route home that has been traversed many times.
How to Support Someone Living with Dementia
Supporting someone living with dementia can be done in a variety of ways. This can be as simple as being a listening ear when the person needs to talk or offering practical solutions when they’re feeling unsettled.
Practical Ways to Help
The Alzheimer’s Society says, “The person with dementia may be experiencing a world that is very different to that of the people around them.” They recommend trying to see things from the person’s perspective and recognise how they cope. Treating them as an individual is important – after all, they are not defined by their dementia.
Communicating with Someone with Dementia
While communicating with someone living with dementia may not always be straightforward, working out a system is possible. Retaining eye contact, speaking slowly, or using pictures can help, as can recognising that changes in behaviour may indicate a need that isn’t being met, such as hunger, thirst, temperature, or pain relief.
How to Take Action During Dementia Action Week
Taking action during Dementia Action Week can include becoming informed and learning more about dementia, which will benefit everyone, not just people with personal experience. Encouraging loved ones who exhibit symptoms to seek early diagnosis will also be beneficial.
Raising Awareness
Volunteering for local dementia events will help to raise awareness, as will becoming a Dementia Friend and encouraging better understanding of how dementia affects those living with the condition and their loved ones. The Alzheimer’s Society and other dementia charities have a wealth of information that can help.
Supporting Dementia-Friendly Communities
By wearing the forget me not badge from the Alzheimer’s Society you can show others in your community that you welcome conversations about dementia. Initiating conversations means that more people understand what dementia is, and how best they can support people in the local community, meaning they’re not facing things alone.
Supporting People Living with Dementia with Helping Hands
Helping Hands have been supporting people living with dementia since we were established in 1989.
Remaining in a familiar and comforting environment can help to reduce the anxiety and confusion that often accompanies dementia as it progresses. With visiting care from the same small team of carers, or live-in care with long-term support from the same person, you’ll quickly become comfortable with the people delivering your care.
Why move out of a place you love when you can have expert care – all fully regulated by the Care Quality Commission and Care Inspectorate Wales – delivered at home?
FAQs About Dementia Action Week
Dementia Action Week is an awareness raising campaign run by the Alzheimer’s Society in May every year. In 2026 it’s running from 18 – 24 May.
Early signs of dementia can include memory loss, confusion, disorientation, language difficulties, and changes in behaviour. Sometimes it’s just that people notice there’s something different about their loved one, even if it’s not immediately obvious what it is.
There are many ways to support someone living with dementia. These include being patient, taking time to communicate effectively, reassuring them, encouraging them to seek diagnosis, and raising awareness in the wider community. All these actions can benefit people who are living with dementia and the many people who are awaiting diagnosis.