Dementia Friends: Why It Matters to Us

September marks World Alzheimer’s Month, an opportunity for people and organisations across the world to raise awareness of dementia, challenge misconceptions and think about what we can all do to better support those living with the condition and the people around them.

At Woolliscrofts Solicitors, this is a subject that is particularly important to us and we are very proud that every member of our staff is a Dementia Friend.

Being a Dementia Friend is about developing a greater understanding of dementia and learning about the small, everyday things we can all do to make a difference to people affected by it. For us, it is an important part of ensuring that everyone who comes into contact with our firm is treated with patience, dignity, understanding and respect.

A condition that touches so many lives

Dementia does not only affect the person who receives the diagnosis. Its impact can be felt throughout entire families and friendship groups, changing relationships, creating caring responsibilities and bringing emotional and practical challenges that can last for many years.

It is also much closer to home than many of us might realise.

Like so many workplaces, members of our own team have seen people they love affected by dementia. We know from those personal experiences that behind every statistic is a person, a family and a story.

The scale of dementia in the UK is significant. Someone develops dementia every three minutes, and one in three people born in the UK today will develop dementia during their lifetime.

Those figures demonstrate why greater awareness and understanding is so important.

Why being Dementia Friends matters to us

As solicitors, we often meet people at particularly important or difficult stages of their lives. This is especially true when helping clients with Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney, probate and estate

administration, but a person living with dementia, or caring for somebody who is, may need legal assistance for any number of reasons.

Sometimes making a difference can be as simple as allowing a little more time, communicating clearly, listening carefully, avoiding assumptions or recognising that someone may need information presented in a different way.

Being Dementia Friends has helped our staff to think more about what it can be like to live with dementia and how small changes in the way we communicate and interact with people can make their experience easier and more comfortable.

It is not about treating somebody differently simply because they have dementia. It is about having the awareness to recognise that they may need a little more understanding and ensuring that they continue to feel listened to and respected.

Supporting our local communities

Dementia affects communities across the country, including many individuals and families here in Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Cannock and the wider Staffordshire area.

As a local firm that has served its communities for generations, we believe our responsibility extends beyond simply providing legal advice. We want the people who walk through our doors to feel that they are dealing with people who will listen to them and take the time to understand their individual circumstances.

That is why we are proud to say that every member of the Woolliscrofts team is a Dementia Friend.

World Alzheimer’s Month 2026

This September, we hope World Alzheimer’s Month encourages more conversations about dementia.

Greater understanding can help to challenge stigma and misconceptions, but it can also make a very practical difference to somebody’s everyday life.

For those of us who have watched dementia affect a parent, grandparent, partner, relative, friend or even a colleague’s loved one, the importance of that understanding needs little explanation.

For everyone else, taking the time to learn a little more is a small step that can make a meaningful difference.

At Woolliscrofts, we are proud to have taken that step together.