Supporting World Alzheimer’s Month: A Guide for Care Providers

Every September, health and social care organisations across the UK mark World Alzheimer Month, a global campaign challenging the stigma that still surrounds Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and related symptoms it causes. For care providers, it’s a genuine opportunity to reflect on how well your team understands the conditions they’re supporting people through every day.

This year’s global theme, set by Alzheimer’s Disease International, is “The Earlier You Know, The More You Can Do: A Dementia Diagnosis Matters,” a call to remove barriers to earlier diagnosis and help families access support sooner. Getting there starts with recognising the condition itself and understanding what actually sets Alzheimer’s apart from dementia and the related collection of symptoms it causes.

What Is Alzheimer’s Disease?

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia. It’s a progressive condition, meaning symptoms typically start subtly and gradually worsen over time as the disease affects more of the brain. Early signs of dementia and other related symptoms caused by Alzheimer’s often include:

• Forgetting recent conversations or repeating the same question shortly after asking it

• Struggling to find the right word mid-sentence

• Becoming confused about time, dates, or familiar places

• Losing track of everyday tasks that used to feel automatic, like following a recipe or managing bills

• Withdrawing from conversations or social situations that once felt comfortable

Additional symptoms can also be caused by Alzheimer’s disease not just dementia, such as sensory changes, anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, movement difficulties and more.

What makes Alzheimer’s particularly challenging for care staff to recognise early is how easily these signs can be mistaken for ordinary ageing or put down to stress.

Understanding the distinction clearly, rather than assuming memory changes are simply a normal part of getting older, is exactly why dementia awareness for care providers matters as much as it does.

What Is Dementia?

Dementia itself is an umbrella term, not a single disease. It describes a set of symptoms, memory loss, difficulty with communication, changes in mood or behaviour, caused by underlying damage to the brain. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause sitting under that umbrella, but it’s far from the only one.

Vascular dementia, caused by reduced blood flow to the brain, is the second most common form and dementia with Lewy bodies is another distinct type with its own particular set of symptoms, including visual hallucinations and fluctuating alertness that can be easily mistaken for other conditions if staff aren’t trained to recognise them. Getting comfortable with types of dementia and other related symptoms explained clearly, rather than treating dementia as a single, uniform condition, is one of the clearest markers of a properly dementia-aware care team.

What’s The Difference Between Dementia And Alzheimer’s?

The relationship between the two comes down to this: Alzheimer’s disease is a specific, diagnosable brain disease and dementia is the collection of symptoms that disease produces once it’s progressed far enough to affect daily functioning. Both involve progressive damage to brain cells, disrupting the connections responsible for memory, reasoning, and communication, which is why the two conditions share so many visible symptoms even though they aren’t the same thing.

There are other symptoms such as movement difficulties and anxiety caused by Alzheimer’s which closely relate to dementia and are worth understanding. This overlap is exactly why so much confusion exists when understanding Alzheimer’s and why clear staff understanding matters for care quality. A care worker who understands that Alzheimer’s is a cause rather than simply another word for dementia and other symptoms is better placed to recognise when a resident’s symptoms might point towards a different underlying type and to respond appropriately rather than applying a one-size-fits-all approach to every dementia diagnosis.

What Are The Different Types of Dementia?

Getting a proper handle on the different types of dementia makes a real difference to day-to-day care, since each type can present differently and call for a slightly different approach. A useful quick reference for staff who want to understand the condition properly, rather than relying on secondhand assumptions, is our free factsheet on dementia with Lewy bodies.

The second most common form is covered in the same practical way in our factsheet on vascular dementia, explaining how reduced blood flow to the brain causes the condition and what signs staff should be watching for.

Additional symptoms can also be caused by Alzheimer’s not just dementia such as sensory changes, anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, movement difficulties and more.

Why Choose Accredited Dementia Training?

A general awareness of dementia is a solid starting point, but many care settings need staff trained to a higher, accredited standard. Level 2 Understanding Dementia builds the foundational knowledge and confidence care staff need to recognise dementia and respond well to the people they’re supporting.

For teams wanting to go further, Level 3 Dementia Awareness is externally accredited and mapped to the Dementia Training Standards Framework, covering person-centred values, communication, administering medication, and the legislation relevant to dementia care in more depth. Care providers must ensure staff are suitably trained and skilled to meet people’s needs.

How Can Care Providers Support World Alzheimer’s Month?

Beyond formal training, there are practical steps any care organisation can take during September to mark World Alzheimer’s Month properly and to build genuine momentum that carries on past the campaign itself. Sharing information with families and residents, running a short internal briefing on this year’s theme, or simply making sure every member of staff understands the basics of dementia are all straightforward ways to get involved.

Becoming a Dementia Friend is one of the simplest actions available, led nationally by the Alzheimer’s Society and free to take part in. Staff can watch a short video or attend a face-to-face session to learn the small, practical ways they can support people living with dementia and other symptoms caused by Alzheimer’s and larger organisations can register the whole workforce to track how many colleagues have taken part. With millions of Dementia Friends across the UK already, it’s a low-effort way for a care team to show its commitment to World Alzheimer’s Month beyond a single September campaign.

What Training Do Care Staff Need For Dementia?

For larger organisations, training every new starter externally isn’t always practical. Level 3 Dementia Awareness Train the Trainer is built for exactly this situation, equipping your own staff to deliver accredited dementia training in-house, rather than relying on an external provider for every cohort.

This sits within Curve’s wider Train the Trainer course range, building internal training capability across a number of care topics. It’s worth exploring if your organisation is looking to reduce its reliance on external training providers more broadly.

World Alzheimer Month is a natural opportunity to check whether your team’s dementia knowledge is where it needs to be, not just for September, but for the people your staff support every day of the year. Understanding the difference between Alzheimer’s and dementia, recognising the different types, and knowing when it’s time to move from general awareness to relevant dementia training standards are all part of building a confident, competent team.

Curve Learning is a Skills for Care endorsed provider with over 15 years’ experience delivering accredited health and social care training. Get in touch with our team to talk through the right dementia training for your organisation or browse our full range of courses to see what’s available.