This week is Dementia Action Week (19–25 May 2025), bringing people together to talk about why early diagnosis of dementia is so important.
Why is early diagnosis important?
When dementia is found early, people can:
- Get the right support
- Make plans for the future
- Stay in control of their lives
But sadly, many people are diagnosed too late. A study by King’s College London in 2023 found that:
- People with dementia and their carers often face problems getting fair access to care
- These problems are often caused by poor communication and a lack of understanding from health and care services
One bereaved carer told us:
“Mum had a right for her voice to be heard – and she wasn’t. She was ignored, totally.”
How The Advocacy Project helps
At The Advocacy Project, we believe everyone has the right to be heard. We help people of all ages speak up and make choices about their health and social care. We do this in lots of different ways.
Healthwatch services
In Brent, Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea, we run Healthwatch. This means we talk to people and listen to their views about local health and social care services. In Brent, we worked with the Community Action on Dementia team. We went to dementia cafés to hear what people with dementia and carers had to say.
People talked to us about:
- problems getting social care
- how hard hospital discharge can be
- needing more support locally
Dementia cafés are welcoming spaces where people can talk, make friends, and get support. We use what we learn to help improve local services.
Older People’s Voice
In Westminster, we run Older People’s Voice. We hold groups, events and consultations for older people. They tell us what services are like – and what needs to change. One big issue is digital exclusion. People said:
“Some older people can’t use digital devices.”
“Dementia can make it harder to follow instructions online.”
We share these views with people who plan and run local services.
Advocacy for people with dementia
We also provide advocacy for people who:
- have dementia
- have had a capacity assessment
- need help to understand and make decisions
Advocates take the time to:
- Explain information in a clear way
- Use simple words
- Give people time to think and ask questions
- Help people make their own choices
This helps people stay in control and feel respected.
Easy Read documents
We now offer an Easy Read service. This means we turn complicated information into simple, clear documents.
Easy Read can help people with:
- learning disabilities
- dementia
- and anyone who finds reading hard
We help organisations communicate with everyone in a way that’s fair and accessible.
Get in touch
If you want to know more about our work, or any of our projects:
Visit our website: www.advocacyproject.org.uk
Or contact us – we’d love to hear from you!