Dementia Support Line
Trustees' Annual Report
& Financial Statements 2021/22
Read the full version of our Trustees' Annual Report & Financial Statements 2021/22
“We’ve made great progress this year, moving forward with our exciting plans for Alzheimer’s Society that will positively impact people living with dementia.”
- Stephen Hill OBE, Chair of Trustees
“It has been a huge honour to lead Alzheimer’s Society this year and I am so grateful to everyone who supports us in any capacity – you have made a massive difference to the lives of people affected by dementia.”
- Kate Lee, Chief Executive
Our year in numbers
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Our services have been used more than four million times in 2021/22, and people affected by dementia tell us they are a lifeline.
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Our Dementia Connect support line received 71,014 calls – an increase of 32% on 2020/21.
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Dementia Talking Point, our online community, supported nearly 1.3m people through 2021/22.
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We distributed 445,840 print publications this year, a rise of 90% from the previous year.
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Our campaigns were supported by more than 135,000 people across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
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We identified and dealt with more than 2,850 safeguarding concerns in 2021/22.
2021/22 was a year of change for Alzheimer’s Society.
- Finding ourselves in the second year of restrictions and lockdowns, the impact of the pandemic on people living with dementia was now clear and visceral.
- The fear of contracting Covid prevented some people from attending face-to-face services when they resumed in-between and following periods of lockdown.
- While the rest of the world was focused on the pandemic, we knew that residential care homes were facing their own challenges, and often lacked the provision necessary to help people with dementia.
- We continued campaigning to raise awareness of this problem while ensuring that the dire state of our social care system, exposed by the pandemic, could not be forgotten.
Looking after Mum during this time became a new kind of challenge, and isolation set in.
Jennifer Tobias cares for her 84-year-old mother, Veronica Tobias, at her London home. She has done since Veronica was diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2017
Read moreJennifer's Story
“Covid and the lockdowns and the restrictions took away all of the
regular
activities my mother valued so much. This year was trying to adapt to a
constantly changing situation.
We managed short early morning walks to our favourite
parks. Appreciating and being close to Mother Nature was life-affirming.
But we were soon overwhelmed with the large number of
people also out doing what we were. People outside were behaving like Covid was over.
Few
people wore masks. But Covid was still a danger for my mother.
My mother had undergone breast cancer surgery and was
vulnerable to infection. I was left to address her healing pretty much on my own and
was exhausted. We were running on empty.
Conscious of Mum’s weakened immune system, we reduced the
number of times we ventured out each week.
Looking after Mum during this time became a new kind of
challenge, and isolation set in. Mum’s dementia episodes took on their next stage,
leaving both of us so exhausted. Inventing a weekly timetable of things
to engage in helped, when we had the strength to access them.
Our GP services were brilliant and they offered a sensitive
service, during Mum's cancer and Covid battles and more.
Alzheimer's Society in Hackney was like a friend, during an
extremely difficult time. If l emailed our support worker, requesting advice on
anything, she would be in contact within no time at all. We felt we were
not alone.
Alzheimer’s Society was present, right throughout our Covid
experiences, and stayed close. When they said they were going to deliver something,
they always did
and we remain forever grateful for the information
they shared with us, allowing us to live fear free and embrace Covid
reality.”
Jennifer Tobias cares for her 84-year-old mother, Veronica Tobias, at her London home. She has done since Veronica was diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2017