Dementia Action Week: A Journey Through Dementia with My Nan

May 15, 2026

By Leanne Moulton (Chief Academy Officer)

There are moments when someone you love starts to slip away. Not all at once, but in fragments. Whether that’s a forgotten birthday, a misplaced name or a confused look that lingers too long. For many families like mine, these early signs of dementia are both subtle and deeply unsettling.

During Dementia Action Week, there is a national focus on raising awareness, encouraging understanding and supporting those affected by dementia. It’s a time to have more open conversations about what dementia really means not just clinically, but personally.

According to the World Health Organisation, over 55 million people worldwide are living with dementia, with nearly 10 million new cases every year. It’s one of the most significant health and social care challenges of our time not only for those diagnosed, but also for the families, carers and communities surrounding them.

But behind every statistic is a face, a laugh, a memory and for me, that face is my Nan’s.

Walking With Nan Through Her Assessment
When my Nan first began forgetting small things, we brushed it off as normal ageing. But over time, these moments became more frequent and more difficult. She would mix up family members, forget conversations we’d just had, or become disoriented in places she once knew like the back of her hand.

Taking her to her dementia assessment was challenging. It felt like crossing an invisible threshold, one where the fear becomes real, but also where support can begin. Watching someone you love be asked questions about the most basic parts of their life, and seeing their struggle to answer, is something that stays with you.

Yet, through this process, I’ve learned that dementia is not just about loss – it’s also about connection, creativity and compassion. Which brings me to the scrapbook.

Creating a Scrapbook
In the midst of the unknown, my Nan, my family and I found comfort in something simple: a scrapbook.

Page by page, we’ve been piecing together her life. Childhood photos. Newspaper clippings from when she was a teenager. Letters she kept for decades. Visiting the place she grew up. Taking her back to Devon Cliffs, a holiday she used to routinely go on with her husband and kids. We sit together and she tells me stories sometimes detailed and vivid, sometimes patchy and confused but always rich with emotion.

This scrapbook has become more than just a project. It’s a bridge between the Nan I’ve always known and the one she is becoming. It helps her stay anchored in her identity, and it gives us a shared activity that isn’t about diagnosis or decline, but about joy and remembrance.

Reminiscence activities, like looking through photos or storytelling, can have a positive impact on mood, communication and self-esteem for people living with dementia. But for us, it’s also simply become a ritual of love.

Finding Joy Through Singing
Another source of support for us has been attending Singing for the Brain sessions, run by the Alzheimer’s Society.

These sessions use music to bring people with dementia and their carers together in a relaxed, supportive environment. Singing familiar songs can spark memories, lift mood and create moments of connection that words alone sometimes can’t reach.

For my Nan, these sessions are a chance to feel like herself again, to laugh, to sing and be part of something. For me, they’re a reminder that even as dementia changes things, joy and connection are still very much possible.

This has also resonated with me in my professional role. Within our own service supporting individuals affected by self harm and suicide, we offer a Choir for Hope. Much like Singing for the Brain, it provides a safe, inclusive space where people can come together, express themselves, and experience connection through music. Whether in dementia care or self harm and suicide prevention support, these shared creative spaces can be incredibly powerful in reducing isolation and supporting wellbeing.

Mental Health and Dementia
While dementia is often seen through the lens of memory loss, its impact on mental health is just as profound. People living with dementia are at increased risk of depression and anxiety. Carers – especially family members – often experience high levels of emotional stress, burnout and even grief long before physical death occurs. This is sometimes called ambiguous loss or living loss – grieving someone while they are still here.

As Dementia Action Week reminds us, small actions – whether that’s starting a conversation, attending a support group or simply spending meaningful time with someone – can make a real difference. For me, that difference is found in scrapbooks, in singing and in every shared moment with my Nan. But just as important is talking openly. Dementia is still too often surrounded by stigma and silence, and sharing our stories is one way we can begin to change that to help others feel seen, understood and less alone.

If you or someone you love is affected by dementia, support is available through the Alzheimer’s Society, which offers advice, local services and groups such as Singing for the Brain to help people stay connected and supported.