In an effort to spread awareness with its new ‘Change The Ending’ campaign, Alzheimer’s Research UK revealed results from a YouGov survey it commissioned, showing the impact dementia has on people’s everyday lives.
The survey revealed that 22% of 2,162 respondents said they were unaware of how dementia affected people.
Alzheimer’s Research UK’s chief executive, Hilary Evans, says that the public’s lack of understanding “is blocking our path to a cure”.
Despite recent progress in dementia research, including the two new Alzheimer’s drugs, lecanemab and donanemab, that are showing success in trials, the charity believes that the public’s understanding of the condition is vital to speed up progress.
In the UK alone, 900,000 people are living with dementia, and this figure is predicted to rise to 1.6 million by 2040.
Other figures from the survey highlighted that only a small proportion of people were aware that the condition caused difficulty with body and motor control (4%) and communication (5%).
The new part live-action and part animated campaign film, which was developed by Above & Beyond and voiced by Oscar-winning actor Olivia Colman, depicts how dementia reduces people’s ability to complete some daily activities and highlights the urgent need for a cure.
Colman said: “The work Alzheimer’s Research UK does is so important… [The film] lays bare the realities of dementia in such a powerful and thought-provoking way… and we must do everything we can to end the pain and distress it causes.”
The charity also released a companion film featuring Frank Littleford, who was diagnosed with dementia in 2020, to show how dementia has impacted his life and relationship.
Littleford said: “This charity is at the heart of the efforts to find a cure, and the breakthroughs their researchers make are going to be vital in ensuring people don’t have to go through what [my] family [and I] are going through.”
“By putting a spotlight on the devastation this condition causes, we hope to ignite support for the vital research that will change the ending for everyone affected by dementia.”