Dementia action week 2024

Dementia Action Week is an awareness campaign by Alzheimer’s Society. Its aim is to bring the UK together to take action on improving dementia diagnosis rates. This the campaign runs from 13 – 19 May 2024.

There are currently 900,000 people living with dementia in the UK and this figure is projected to rise to 1.6m by 2040. Dementia is not a disease itself; it is a collection of symptoms that result from damage to the brain caused by different diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

Different types of dementia can affect people in a diverse range of ways, and everyone suffering will experience symptoms in their own way. Some common early symptoms of dementia may include memory loss, mood changes, being confused about time and place and struggling to find the right word. Dementia symptoms often start mildly but gradually get worse over time.

Having dementia does not completely prevent you from making your own decisions or planning for your future. By planning ahead you can ensure that your wishes for the future can be respected and it can also help to give your family peace of mind.

The documents you may wish to consider getting in order include:

• A will
• A Lasting Power of Attorney for Property and Financial Affairs
• A Lasting Power of Attorney for Health and Welfare
• An advance decision.

During this Dementia Action Week Lauren McGurk, Head of Cheltenham Older and Vulnerable Person’s Team will be raising awareness of dementia within the firm and also in our local community.