Reframing Dementia - a guide to living with dementia

We’ve developed our Reframing Dementia Guide to help people understand what dementia is, how it can be managed and how we can talk about it in a way that’s positive and forward-looking.

Download our Reframing Dementia Guide (Jan 2025)

There are estimated to be 982,000 people living with dementia in the UK and this number is projected to rise to 1.4 million in 2040, according to Alzheimer’s Society.

Yet, despite the numbers our research shows that half of us have never considered that we might one day develop dementia.

As a nation, we are remarkably reluctant to think and talk about dementia. Nearly half of us have never had a conversation with loved ones about it, and our research shows that we’d much rather discuss divorce, break ups and our weight, than dementia. A staggering one in three of us simply don’t want to talk about dementia.

Even though the overwhelming majority of the public want what’s best for their loved one in later life, many don’t want to worry their loved ones by discussing dementia – but the simple truth is that a conversation is a vital starting point to prepare ourselves and loved ones, for what might come in our later life.

Thanks to advancements in dementia care, technological developments and the expertise and dedication of specialist dementia carers, people with dementia can continue to live fulfilling lives, filled with joy, laughter and aspirations. At Anchor we see it first-hand every day in our residents, and it gives us great hope for a nation in which dementia is understood and respected, not feared.

Dementia has been a taboo for too long. It’s time to break the silence and start having open and honest conversations about dementia, so we can proactively plan for it.

For some, discussing dementia can be embarrassing and uncomfortable but it doesn’t have to be. Only through conversation can we ensure that the right decisions can be made at the right time and that for anyone who does develop dementia, there’s a plan in place to help ensure they can still live their life to the full.