Dementia Action Week 2025: PainChek backs national campaign to prioritise dementia care

2​3 May 2025

During Dementia Action Week (19-25 May 2025), the team behind PainChek, the digital pain assessment tool, is joining national calls to prioritise dementia diagnosis and personalised care.

One in three people living with dementia in the UK remain undiagnosed, meaning thousands are being left without the specialist support they need. PainChek has long supported the care sector and its advocacy for increased government investment in dementia care and greater access to technology to support people living with dementia and their carers.

Drew Hunt of PainChek says: “We fully support the Alzheimer’s Society’s focus on dementia diagnosis this year. Getting a diagnosis is the crucial first step to accessing personalised and appropriate care, support and treatment.”

However, stigma remains a barrier to timely diagnosis, appropriate treatment, and quality care for dementia, significantly impacting individuals and their families. Dementia campaigner, writer, and trainer, Beth Britton explains:

“There has always been a stigma around dementia, with people often receiving a delayed diagnosis and there being a misconception that it only affects older people. After diagnosis, people aren’t given the tools and support they need. Not only this, but a person’s life with dementia starts before diagnosis, especially during the wait for a memory clinic appointment. People need support and hope at all these stages.”

Chris Norris, who was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia 12 years ago, echoes the need for more holistic approach: “Dementia doesn’t just apply to the person with the diagnosis, it applies to their family too. That’s why we need to look after everyone caring for and supporting the individual. If my carers aren’t well and well-supported, I’m not well or well-supported.”

Professor Martin Green, Chief Executive of Care England and Independent Sector Dementia Champion for the Department of Health and Social Care, says: “There is not currently an understanding that dementia care needs to be a priority – if dementia was something that affected children, society’s approach would be much different. We need to address the disparity in resources and the lack of ambition to give people living with dementia the choices to do the things they enjoy.”

Dementia care specialist Hannah Miller adds: “It is true that education around dementia is desperately needed – society is decades behind where it should be. Goal setting is a key part of learning disability care, but this seems to disappear when talking about care for dementia. A mindset shift is needed to reinforce the fact it is possible for people living with dementia to have a positive experience at some points, of some days.”

Drew says: "With global cases of people living with dementia expected to triple to 153 million by 2050, now is the time to act - to break down barriers to diagnosis, equip the care sector with the tools and resources it deserves, and end the stigma associated with the condition.”