Attendance Allowance check → Attendance Allowance for dementia: what to write

Attendance Allowance for dementia: what to write

How dementia creates a need for help and supervision, who can fill in and sign the form, and what to write at the AA1 questions that matter most.

Written and checked by the Attendance Allowance Check team at Virix Ltd. Last reviewed 25 September 2026 against gov.uk.

Dementia is one of the most common reasons families look into Attendance Allowance, and one of the conditions where the form is hardest to fill in well. The person may still be able to wash, dress and walk about. What has changed is that they no longer remember to, do it in the wrong order, or put themselves at risk while doing it. Our conditions overview gives the short version; this page goes further.

Why dementia needs are easy to undersell

Attendance Allowance is not paid for a diagnosis. It is paid because someone needs help with personal care, or needs someone to keep an eye on them to stay safe, and has needed it for at least six months (unless they are nearing the end of life). The eligibility check covers the other conditions.

With dementia, the help is often invisible to the person receiving it. Asked “Can you dress yourself?”, they may honestly answer yes, because they can do up the buttons. What they may not remember is that a daughter laid the clothes out, reminded them twice, and checked that the vest was not on over the jumper. The DWP’s guidance for decision makers gives, as an example, a person with dementia who “may not even recognize the need to dress and may need to be reminded repeatedly to do so”. It also says that encouraging someone with a mental illness or disability to eat, wash, dress or get out of bed, in person, can count as attention.

So the task, when filling in the form, is to describe what actually happens, including the prompting, checking and stepping in, rather than what the person could do if everything went to plan.

The kinds of need dementia often creates

Safety and supervision

The guidance explains that people with some mental disabilities may be unaware of dangers that others recognise, such as traffic, electricity and gas, and may create danger without realising it, for example by turning on a gas fire but not lighting it. It treats “substantial danger” broadly: falls, exposure and neglect all count. Leaving pans on the hob, letting a stranger in, going out in slippers in the cold, or taking tablets twice are all examples of the kind of thing to describe, with how often they happen.

Wandering and getting lost

If the person goes out and cannot find their way back, or tries to leave the house at odd times, say so, and say what has happened on those occasions. The AA1 has a tick box for “I may wander” at both the daytime supervision question and the night-time one.

Forgetting, and needing reminders

Prompting counts when someone has to be there to give it. A reminder by phone is not the same as someone in the room making sure the meal is eaten. Describe who reminds, what for, how often, and what happens when nobody does.

Medicines

The guidance says a person who is confused may need attention to make sure the right dose is taken at the right time. A dosette box helps some people, but many with dementia still take the wrong compartment, take none, or take them twice. If that happens, it belongs at question 36.

Eating and drinking

Forgetting to eat, leaving food untouched, not recognising that food has gone off, or not drinking enough are common. Cooking a hot meal is not itself a bodily function under the rules, so focus on the eating and drinking, and on the prompting or help needed for it.

Nights

Night is taken to mean the time the household has closed down for the night. Getting up and dressing at 3am, trying to go out, being frightened and needing to be settled, or needing help to the toilet all count. The guidance includes an example of an older man with dementia who rose very early and went out confused, and treats that early morning as night because his carer would reasonably regard it as night. It also notes that someone who wanders by day may sleep soundly at night, so describe nights as they really are. Having someone sleep in the house in case of fire or burglars is not, on its own, “watching over”. Our guide to the night-time questions explains the difference.

Who fills in the form, and who signs it

Often a son, daughter, partner or friend fills in the form, because they see what happens day to day. That is fine. The form asks about the person claiming, in the first person, so write “I” and “me” as if you were them, or write plainly that you are completing it on their behalf.

Signing is a separate question. If the person can understand the form and sign it, they should sign it themselves, even if someone else wrote it. If they cannot manage their own affairs, there are formal routes, and it is worth checking them on GOV.UK:

• Appointee. GOV.UK explains that the DWP can appoint one person to deal with the benefits of someone who cannot manage their own affairs. The DWP arranges a visit, interviews the would-be appointee, and confirms the appointment in writing. The appointee signs claim forms and receives the money on the person’s behalf. Question 15 of the AA1 has a box to tick if you want to be appointed, or are in the process of becoming a legal representative.
• Lasting power of attorney. A registered property and financial affairs LPA can, according to GOV.UK, cover things like collecting benefits and managing a bank account. It must have been made while the person still had capacity. If one exists, say so on the form and check with the DWP what they need to see.

If you sign on the person’s behalf, the form asks you to get someone else to fill in the “statement from someone who knows you”.

What to write at the key questions

The question numbers below are from the AA1 (edition 11/25). For every question, the most useful details are the same: what happens, how often, how long it takes, and what goes wrong without help.

An illustrative example

This is a made-up example to show the level of detail, not a real person or a template to copy.

At question 40: “Mum cannot be left for more than about an hour. Twice in the last month she has left the gas on under an empty pan, and once she went out at teatime in her nightdress and a neighbour brought her back. She lets anyone in who knocks. When I am at work, my brother or I call in at lunchtime, and she is alone for about three hours in the afternoon, which is when most things go wrong.”

At question 36: “She has a dosette box but opens the wrong day. On about three days a week I find tablets left over or a day missing. I now put out each dose and watch her take it, morning and evening, about five minutes each time.”

For more on phrasing, see example answers and what not to write.

The statement from someone who knows the person

Questions 55 to 62 are for a short statement from someone involved in the person’s care. It is optional, but with dementia it often adds a great deal, because the person may not be aware of their own difficulties. The form suggests the best person is the one most involved with their treatment or care. That might be a relative who visits daily, a neighbour, or a professional such as a dementia nurse. It helps if they describe specific things they have seen, not just the diagnosis.

Special rules are for the end of life, not for dementia

Some families assume dementia is dealt with under the “special rules”. It is not, in itself. The special rules are for people who a doctor or other medical professional says may have 12 months or less to live. In that case there is no six-month wait, the claim is dealt with more quickly and paid at the higher rate, and the medical professional provides form SR1. If that applies, see GOV.UK’s page on claiming if you’re nearing the end of life. Otherwise, the ordinary claim, with the six-month rule, is the right route.

A related help: Council Tax and severe mental impairment

This is separate from Attendance Allowance, but often missed. GOV.UK explains that someone who is “severely mentally impaired” can be disregarded for Council Tax. To qualify, they need a certificate from a medical professional such as their GP, and they must get one of certain benefits; GOV.UK says to check the list with your local council. Depending on who else lives in the home, the bill may be reduced by 25% or 50%, or, if the person lives alone, the discount can be 100%. You have to apply to the council; it is not automatic. See GOV.UK’s Council Tax discounts for disabled people and apply for a Council Tax discount. In Scotland, check the rules with your local council.

Getting the form, and free help

You can claim online, or download the AA1 from GOV.UK, fill it in on paper and send it by post. GOV.UK explains how to claim. If the person lives in Scotland, Pension Age Disability Payment replaces Attendance Allowance for new claims. Alzheimer’s Society and Dementia UK offer information and support for people with dementia and their families, and Age UK and Citizens Advice help with benefit forms free of charge where they can. Our guide to the whole AA1 form walks through the rest.

Nothing on this page is medical or legal advice, and we cannot say whether any claim will succeed; that is decided by the DWP.

If you would like a hand with it

We are a private company, Virix Ltd, not part of any government department. We go through the AA1 with you, or with the person you care for, over the telephone, write the answers up in your own words, then print the form and post it to you to read, sign and send. It costs £149, once. If the claim is refused, we help you ask for the decision to be looked at again at no extra cost, and if the answer is still no, we refund the full £149. Or you can choose to pay £249 only if the claim is awarded. Equally, the claim is free to make yourself, and Age UK and Citizens Advice help at no charge where they have capacity, as do some local services; Alzheimer’s Society and Dementia UK also offer free information. How the options compare.