Dementia Unseen

Dementia is the UK’s leading cause of death. Yet one in three people still live without a diagnosis – often waiting years for answers.

Alzheimer’s Research UK and Different Kettle set out to change that.

Together, we created ‘Dementia Unseen’: a campaign designed to turn delayed diagnosis from an accepted reality into a public and political issue that couldn’t be ignored.

We rooted the campaign in lived experience, identifying a powerful truth: people waiting for a diagnosis feel invisible. By turning that feeling into a clear, campaignable idea, we reframed diagnosis as a right – not a waiting game.

That clarity drove action.

Over 67,000 people added their voice. Thousands engaged with ARUK for the first time. National media picked up the story. That visibility created pressure.

MPs and Peers engaged. Ministers responded. Dementia diagnosis moved up the agenda.

It’s because when you make people feel seen, they act. And when enough people act, systems have to respond. This wasn’t just awareness. It was a campaign designed to convert experience into action, and action into influence – strengthening ARUK’s position as a leading campaigning voice, and accelerating momentum for national change.