Action on dementia diagnosis

This year’s Dementia Action Week focuses on ‘getting a diagnosis’.

Dementia Carers Count is supporting the initiative. We believe people who might be living with, or close to someone who might be living with, undiagnosed dementia should:

• be able to understand and recognise potential dementia before a formal diagnosis
• feel confident to seek guidance
• be supported and heard
• have the right to a better package of care from the first appointment, through diagnosis and beyond.

Dementia is the fastest rising health condition in the UK and the greatest long-term health challenge we face and yet there has been a sustained drop in dementia diagnosis rates.

We know the worries for people who have concerns about dementia for themselves or for a friend or family member can begin some time before diagnosis but they often feel unsure where to turn and their concerns are ignored or dismissed.

The current waiting times for a diagnosis will only add to this anxiety. 

It is essential that anyone with concerns that they, or a family member, might be showing signs of dementia are listened to and offered support and medical advice, including those with early cognitive impairment who are all too often returned to primary care without adequate action or guidance, as soon as possible.

What are the signs

Did you know that there are in fact more than 100 types of dementia? 

Dementia affects each person in a different way, depending on multiple factors. 

These factors can include neurology, physical health, personality, our biography and background and the physical and social environment in which we live. 

The signs, symptoms and experiences of dementia can therefore be quite different depending on the individual and consequently, so too can its impact on them and their carer.

What happens after diagnosis?

Caring for a family member or friend with dementia can be incredibly hard. The person with dementia is likely someone you’ve known for much of your life and care for deeply.

Watching someone’s personality, mood or behaviour change can be both distressing and challenging. 

A dementia diagnosis can have physical, psychological and financial implications for you as a carer and for your whole family.  

Carers can feel thrown into the situation and often don’t know how to cope. Feelings of stress, fear and grief can become overwhelming.

What support should I get as a carer?

Dementia Carers Count believes that people with dementia and the people caring for them must receive tailored support and information at the point at which concern is raised that someone is showing signs of dementia and for as long as they need it.

No one should face the challenges of caring for someone with dementia alone. 

Help is available from a range of sources, including other carers, charities like Dementia Carers Count, and through your local health and care services. But we know it is often difficult to access or simply not enough.

Being a family carer is not easy, but it shouldn’t be the struggle it often is for so many.

Our commitment to you

Dementia Carers Count is calling on the Government to prioritise dementia.

We welcome the Government’s investment of £17million to tackle the diagnosis backlog. We call on the Government to support people with concerns about dementia while waiting for diagnosis and get the dementia diagnosis rate back to the national target of two-thirds of people living with dementia, as a matter of urgency.

We strive to make dementia carers count. We want to make your experience as a carer more manageable.

We are in this together.

#DAW2022