Alzheimers Society

About Us

Alzheimer's Society is the leading support and research charity for people with dementia, their families and carers.

Alzheimer's Society is an organisation, which works to improve the quality of life of people affected by dementia in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Many of our 25,000 members have personal experience of dementia, as carers, health professionals or people with dementia themselves, and their experiences help to inform our work.

The Society's fight for a better world for people with all types of dementia takes a wide range of forms.

Through our network of local services, we touch the lives of over 30,000 people every week, providing practical services and support for people with dementia and their carers. Every year, more than a million people make use of the information we provide.

Through campaigning and lobbying we strive to influence government policies and raise awareness of the challenges faced by people with dementia and the people who care for them.

And through our research programme we work to improve the knowledge we have about dementia and its treatment - and pursuing the ultimate goal of finding a cure.               

About dementia

The word dementia describes a set of symptoms that may include memory loss and difficulties with thinking, problem-solving or language.

Dementia is caused when the brain is damaged by diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease or a series of strokes. Dementia is progressive, which means the symptoms will gradually get worse.

These are the latest stats on dementia.

• By 2015 there will be 850,000 people with dementia in the UK.
• There are 40,000 younger people with dementia in the UK.
• There are 25,000 people with dementia from black and minority ethnic groups in the UK.
• There will be 1 million people with dementia in the UK by 2025.
• Two thirds of people with dementia are women.
• The proportion of people with dementia doubles for every five-year age group.
• One in six people aged 80 and over have dementia.
• 60,000 deaths a year are directly attributable to dementia.
• Delaying the onset of dementia by five years would reduce deaths directly attributable to dementia by 30,000 a year.
• The financial cost of dementia to the UK is £26 billion per annum.
• There are 670,000 carers of people with dementia in the UK.
• Family carers of people with dementia save the UK £11 billion a year.
• 80 per cent of people living in care homes have a form of dementia or severe memory problems.
• Two thirds of people with dementia live in the community while one third live in a care home.
• Only 44% of people with dementia in England, Wales and Northern Ireland receive a diagnosis

Follow the link to find out about how dementia is diagnosed. 

Living with dementia

The society runs Dementia cafés, support groups, singing for the brain groups and support workers who will be able to provide useful information and advice. To find out more click here to download the list of activities and venues.

Contact us

Alzheimer's Society, Worcestershire Office

The Coach House, Main Road, Ombersley, Droitwich

Worcestershire WR9 0EW

Telephone: 01905 621 868

Email: worcestershire@alzheimers.org.uk

Web: www.alzheimers.org.uk