World Alzheimer's Month: September 2025

3

Sep

2025

Meet our Dementia Friends

Every September is World Alzheimer’s Month, and in 2025, World Alzheimer’s Day is on 21st September. In recognition of these important annual events and the thousands of people across the UK and world affected by the disease, we spoke to Shelley Collingbourne, Partner at Sydney Mitchell and a specialist Wills Trusts and Probate solicitor, about Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Friends initiative, and the growing army of people at the firm who have become a Dementia Friend.

Dementia is the UK's biggest killer
Dementia affects us all and devastates lives
Every three minutes someone in the UK develops dementia
1 in 3 people born in the UK today will go on to develop dementia in their lifetime

The number of people in the UK living with dementia is estimated to be over 982,000 (May 2024), and this figure is expected to increase to more than 1 million by 2030, and rise to approximately 1.4 million by 2040. More than a third of people living with the condition do not have a diagnosis.

As legal advisers, especially solicitors who are dedicated to supporting people living with dementia, and their loved ones, it is vital we learn more about dementia and try to understand what it is like for someone living with the condition.

This is why Sydney Mitchell first signed up to Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Friends, why our people are so actively involved with the organisation, and why we now have 24 members of our team who are Dementia Friends.

The Dementia Friends initiative, led by the Alzheimer’s Society, is all about increasing people’s understanding of all types of dementia and inspiring them to make a difference to people affected by the condition both in their communities and further afield. When it was launched in November 2012, The Dementia Friends scheme set out to be the country’s biggest ever project to change the way people think about dementia.

Through online and face-to-face training, a Dementia Friend simply means learning more about dementia, putting yourself in the shoes of someone living with the condition and turning your understanding into action. The more people who have that knowledge and understanding the better. Anyone of any age can be a Dementia Friend.

The Dementia Friends journey has given the team at Sydney Mitchell the understanding and empathy to be a genuinely dementia-friendly organisation. The period following a dementia diagnosis can be a frightening time, and families and loved ones struggle to know which way to turn. The Alzheimer’s Society offers a huge range of support and guidance via their online community and through their local support services.

Families like to prepare for the road ahead and at Sydney Mitchell we are happy to assist with putting in place legal documents which provide families with some peace of mind. Preparation of Powers of Attorney, where possible, or applications to the Court of Protection for a deputy to be appointed where someone is further along their dementia journey, can ease the process when dealing with banks, investment companies and even with health and medical organisations.

If you or a friend or relative have recently been diagnosed with dementia and you need our assistance in preparing your Will, Lasting Powers of Attorney or deputyship applications, please do not hesitate to get in touch.