Top Tips for Seeing the Person beyond the Dementia
Dementia Action Week takes place from 18th – 24th May 2026.
Why This Matters
Dementia is often spoken about in terms of loss.
While losses are real, this framing can quietly narrow how people are seen, spoken to and supported.
Skills, preferences, humour, values and relationships do not disappear because someone has dementia, even though their needs may change.
When dementia becomes the dominant lens, people risk being treated as a set of symptoms rather than as individuals with lives, histories and agency.
During the month of Dementia Action Week, it is worth pausing to notice how easily this can happen and what helps us resist it.
This Week’s Top Tips
Noticing
- Notice when conversations focus on what someone can no longer do rather than what still matters to them
- Pay attention to how tone and body language change once dementia is mentioned
- Look for moments where the person’s personality still shines through
Responding
- Use life history to shape everyday interactions, not just care plans
- Speak to the person first, even when family or professionals are present
- Offer choices that are real and meaningful, not symbolic
Creating the conditions
- Make time for conversations that are not task‑focused
- Encourage teams to share positive stories as well as challenges
- Resist language that reduces people to diagnoses or behaviours
A Gentle Reminder
Person‑centred care is not about doing more. It is about seeing more clearly who the person is, not just what support they need.
Over to You
You might like to notice one interaction this week where you consciously respond to the person rather than the dementia and reflect on what shifted.
Dementia Action Week reminds us that inclusion starts with how we see one another.
