Find support near you

Use our dementia directory to find local support services for people with dementia and their carers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Location
Support type
Your results

Now you can choose the type of service that is relevant to you.

Select one or more:
Groups providing activities and/or social time for people affected by dementia.
Specialist support to help people affected by dementia express their views and secure their rights.
Care homes can provide a home environment where people can live with trained staff on hand to look after them day and night.
Personalised care and support for people with dementia in their own home, to maintain independence.
Personalised support in a group setting to enable people with dementia to socialise and participate in individual or group activities.
Information, support and advice.
Support for people with dementia to get out and about and stay involved in their community.
Transport services to help people to travel to where they need to be.

Not sure about something?
Take a look at our handy category guide

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Services are delivered in a variety of formats based on local circumstances. We’ve made it easier to find services that are held at a local venue or delivered online, over the telephone or in your own home. Please use the dementia directory above and click on the tabs in the search results to see what’s available.

The services or providers listed in our dementia directory are not endorsed or checked by Alzheimer’s Society. We strongly advise you to carry out your own checks, before accessing any services or providers. The guide below is not exhaustive, but may give you some ideas.

  • Is the service run by an organisation you know of or have heard of? You may wish to visit their website to check what information is available, if they have one. If they don’t have a website, you could speak to the provider to find out more about the service.
  • Does the service provider’s staff and volunteers have up-to-date criminal records checks?
  • What training have the staff or volunteers had, particularly about dementia?
  • Can you find any client feedback or reviews of the service? Some providers or companies may appear on websites such as Trustpilot, Companies House or the Charity Commission register.
  • If there are fees, how reasonable does these seem, compared to other providers?
  • If you have a local point of contact such as a Dementia Adviser, Admiral Nurse, Mental Health Worker etc. you could ask them if they know any more about the provider/service.

Oversight

  • Who oversees the provider/service, for example, managers, commissioners, regulatory bodies (such as the Care Quality Commission in England or the Regulation and Quality Improvement Agency in Northern Ireland)?

Policies and procedures

  • Does the provider/service have policies and procedures in place that you can view? For example, safeguarding, information governance (such as data protection policies), health and safety and appropriate risk assessments.
  • Does the service provider’s staff and volunteers have up-to-date criminal records checks?
  • What training have the staff or volunteers had, particularly about dementia?
  • It is worth noting that some providers or services are too small to have any formal policies and procedures in place (such as, community/volunteer-led group); however, this doesn’t necessarily mean the provider/service isn’t safe and well-led. In this case it might be worth having a trial, using word of mouth and speaking to people who use the service to judge if it is a trusted service.

Personal information

  • What personal information does the group/service ask you for and why? If this seems too much, you could ask for further explanation on what the information is used for.
  • When answering the questions asked by the service provider, did you feel that you were represented, for example, were you asked questions about your sexual orientation and how you identify?

Visiting the service

  • Can you visit the provider/service first or attend one or two sessions as a trial and see how you feel.
  • Does it feel right for you? Everyone is different.
  • Trust your gut – if something doesn’t feel right about a service/provider, you may wish to consider another instead.

For any technical issues with our dementia directory, please call Customer Services on 0330 333 0804.

If you are looking to list your services, please go to dementia directory business.

Read our terms and privacy policy for more information about the service.

View full list of Alzheimer’s Society’s support services