Overview
- In a seasonal advisory, the NHS asked relatives to look for irritability, forgetfulness, difficulty following conversations and confusion about time or place, and to encourage a GP assessment if concerned.
- Experts note that behavioural and personality changes such as agitation, aggression, anxiety, mood shifts and social withdrawal can be early indicators that become more noticeable during gatherings.
- Clinicians warn that unsafe household actions — for example putting metallic dishes in a microwave, an electric kettle on a hob or milk in a cupboard — should prompt early checks.
- NHS figures indicate around 944,000 people in the UK are living with dementia, including roughly one in 11 people over 65.
- Latest data show formal diagnoses rising year on year from 499,068 to 512,525, and the NHS says it is pursuing care‑home diagnostic pilots and research collaborations alongside awareness drives by the Alzheimer’s Society and the Daily Mail.