--- title: "Alzheimer's Society vs Dementia UK: Key Differences" description: "Alzheimer" source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare/alzheimers-society-vs-dementia-uk retrieved: 2026-10-23T14:58:22.714Z date_note: "Retrieval time is not the filing, register-extract or editorial-review date; cite those dates from the content." license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0" --- [AS](https://charitycompare.pages.dev/charity/alzheimer-s-society) [ALZHEIMER'S SOCIETY](https://charitycompare.pages.dev/charity/alzheimer-s-society) 83/100 4★ Reg. 296645 compared with [DU](https://charitycompare.pages.dev/charity/dementia-uk) [DEMENTIA UK](https://charitycompare.pages.dev/charity/dementia-uk) 77/100 4★ Reg. 1039404 # Alzheimer's Society vs Dementia UK **In short:** Alzheimer's Society runs dementia support services, funds research and campaigns, partly under local authority contracts. Dementia UK concentrates on specialist dementia nursing through Admiral Nurses, a nurse-led helpline and virtual clinics. Last reviewed 23 October 2026 by CharityCompare editorial. Both support families living with dementia, but through different staff. Alzheimer's Society reached over 106,000 people directly in 2024/25 through groups, one-to-one services and its Dementia Support Line, and spent £18.6 million on research activity. Dementia UK works through Admiral Nurses, specialist dementia nurses, with 476 in post in July 2025; some work in services hosted by organisations such as NHS trusts. ## Alzheimer's Society vs Dementia UK: key differences | What to compare | ALZHEIMER'S SOCIETY | DEMENTIA UK | | --- | --- | --- | | Registered work and operating model | Dementia support services, information, research funding and campaigning. | Specialist dementia nursing: Admiral Nurses, a nurse-led helpline and virtual clinics. | | What to consider | Its report gives separate figures for groups, one-to-one services and the support line but does not explain how people using more than one are counted in the 106,000 total. Local authority contracts brought in £23.7 million in 2024/25. | Admiral Nurse services are run either by Dementia UK or by host organisations such as NHS trusts and care home groups, and Dementia UK makes grants towards some hosted posts. The 476 nurses counted in July 2025 are not split between the two. | | Access and practical checks | Use the Dementia Support Line, or check which local groups and one-to-one services run in your area. Its report says it operates in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man. | Contact the Admiral Nurse Dementia Helpline or book a virtual clinic appointment. Local Admiral Nurse support depends on whether a service runs in your area, so check before relying on it. | | Sourced result or evidence gap | Over 106,000: People reached directly by its support services. Year to 31 March 2025: 13,000 through groups, 77,000 through one-to-one services and 29,000 through the Dementia Support Line. A charity-reported output; overlap between channels is not stated. | 41,757: Helpline calls and emails responded to, plus 4,689 virtual clinic appointments. Year to 31 March 2025. Contacts, not unique people. In its most recent helpline evaluation, for 2023-24, 83% of survey respondents said they got all or most of the help they needed; Dementia UK ran that evaluation itself. | ## What the latest filings show Figures from the accounts held in our dated dataset; the live register may contain newer filings. Ratios can span multiple years, as labelled. Clarity scores use our [methodology](https://charitycompare.pages.dev/methodology). Cost to raise £1 of donations is not part of the score; legacies make it lumpy, and it is withheld where trading costs would distort it ([how it works](https://charitycompare.pages.dev/methodology#cost-to-raise)). | Metric | ALZHEIMER'S SOCIETY | DEMENTIA UK | | --- | --- | --- | | Latest accounts year in our snapshot | 2025 | 2025 | | Financial snapshot refreshed | 2026-09-06 | 2026-09-06 | | Ratio reporting window | 3-yr avg | 3-yr avg | | Overall score | 83/100 (4★) | 77/100 (4★) | | Accountability & Finance | 100/100 | 100/100 | | Spend on charitable activities | 67% of expenditure | 64% of expenditure | | Fundraising efficiency | £2.9 total income per £1 fundraising (2023–2025, disclosed years) | £3.3 total income per £1 fundraising (2023–2025, disclosed years) | | Cost to raise £1 of donations | 49p per £1 (2025) · 46p over 2023–2025 | 32p per £1 (2025) · 32p over 2023–2025 | | Latest income | £144m | £31m | | Fundraising spend | 33% of expenditure | 36% of expenditure | | Reserves | 3 months | 10 months | | Accounts filing | On time | On time | | Data confidence | high | high | | Charity number | 296645 | 1039404 | [ALZHEIMER'S SOCIETY on the register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details/?regId=296645&subId=0) · [DEMENTIA UK on the register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details/?regId=1039404&subId=0) ## Considering Alzheimer's Society - You want to fund a mix of dementia support, research and campaigning. - You want help through local groups, one-to-one support or a national support line. [Full profile →](https://charitycompare.pages.dev/charity/alzheimer-s-society) ## Considering Dementia UK - You want to fund specialist dementia nurses who work one to one with families. - You want to support a free, nurse-led helpline and virtual clinics. [Full profile →](https://charitycompare.pages.dev/charity/dementia-uk) ## Alzheimer's Society vs Dementia UK: questions answered ### Alzheimer's Society or Dementia UK: which should I support? There is no universal winner. Alzheimer's Society combines support services, research funding and campaigning; Dementia UK focuses on specialist dementia nursing through Admiral Nurses and its helpline. Choose the kind of help you want to fund, then check the accounts period. A financial rating is not an impact assessment. ### What is an Admiral Nurse? Admiral Nurses are specialist dementia nurses through whom Dementia UK provides support for families. The register describes them working alongside families with one-to-one support, expert guidance and practical solutions, and Dementia UK says their advice and support are free. Some work in Dementia UK’s own services and others in services hosted by organisations such as NHS trusts. ### Does Alzheimer's Society fund research as well as support? Yes. In 2024/25 it spent £18.6 million on research activity, including £10.4 million in research grants, and £61.1 million on support. Alzheimer's Research UK is a separate charity with its own registration. 100 How we score charities + The Clarity Score is a 100-point rating from UK regulator filings (Charity Commission for England and Wales, OSCR and CCNI). Four pillars — Accountability & Transparency (40), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10) — each scored on a continuous scale, not pass/fail cutoffs. A statutory inquiry sets the score to 0 automatically. [Full methodology →](https://charitycompare.pages.dev/methodology) Accountability & Transparency Scored from filings 40 points — filing history (15), trustee oversight (15, scaling up to a board of three or more), declared policies (10). Financial Health Scored from filings 30 points — reserves (15, full marks 3–24 months, tapering on both sides), income stability (10), liabilities to assets (5, scaling down as debt rises). Financial Efficiency Scored from filings 20 points — program expense ratio and fundraising cost, each on a graduated scale (not a single cutoff). Kept at 20% of the total: financial-ratio scoring alone is not a reliable effectiveness signal (see "why not just an overhead ratio?" below). Community Support Scored from filings 10 points — volunteer-to-staff ratio from Charity Commission workforce data, scaling continuously up to a 2:1 ratio. Overall score Sum of all pillar points. Display stars use the same bands as the labels: 90–100 → 5★ Exceptional; 75–89 → 4★ Good; 60–74 → 3★ Needs improvement; 1–59 → 2★ Poor; 0 → not rated. [Compare these charities side-by-side](https://charitycompare.pages.dev/compare-charities?ids=alzheimer-s-society,dementia-uk) [Back to compare](https://charitycompare.pages.dev/compare-charities) **Information only** — not donation advice. We do not tell you where to give. Sources: [Alzheimer's Society: Registered activities, identity and accounts](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details/?regId=296645&subId=0), [Alzheimer's Society: Annual Report and Financial Statements 2024/25](https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/sites/default/files/2025-10/Alzheimers-Society-Annual-Report-2024-25.pdf), [Dementia UK: Registered activities, identity and accounts](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details/?regId=1039404&subId=0), [Dementia UK: Trustees’ Annual Report 2024-25](https://www.dementiauk.org/wp-content/uploads/dementia-uk-annual-report-2024-2025.pdf). See also [how we score](https://charitycompare.pages.dev/compare-charities#how-we-score).