This page is part of PrimeCarers' guide to dementia care. It answers one question: what a dementia assistance card is and how to use one well.
The short answer
- It does the talking, so your relative does not have toShown rather than said, it tells a stranger that they have a memory problem and what would help, without a conversation to have or words to find.
- Keep it to four short linesA first name, one line about the condition, one thing that would help, and a single emergency contact. Leave off the address, date of birth and anything financial.
- Practise showing it before they need itA card that has been shown once at home, in a calm moment, is far easier to show for real in a shop or on a bus.
- A good one is freeThe Alzheimer's Society gives away wallet-sized helpcards, or you can write the same four lines yourself in ten minutes.
Checked against the Alzheimer's Society, Dementia UK and the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower scheme, September 2026.
What they are
A card that says what your relative needs, without them having to say it
A dementia assistance card is small enough for a wallet or a purse, and it does one job. It tells a stranger, in a few words, that the person showing it has a memory problem and what would help.
A communication tool
A way to keep some independence
A faster way to get help in an emergency
For someone with dementia, explaining a diagnosis to a shop assistant, a bus driver or a stranger who has stopped to ask if they are alright can be the hardest part of a difficult moment. A card does that explaining for them. It is shown rather than said, so there is nothing to find the words for.
Carrying one can also mean your relative keeps doing ordinary things alone for longer: a trip to the shop, a bus into town, a visit to a friend. If they get muddled over change at the till or forget which stop is theirs, the card lets them ask for help on their own terms instead of a family member having to step in first. This kind of small step tends to matter most in the earlier stages, while many everyday tasks are still possible alone. The seven stages of dementia sets out what tends to change as that becomes harder.
What goes on it
What to write on the card, and what to leave off
There is no fixed template, and the wording is entirely your relative's choice. Four short pieces of information are enough, and it is worth being careful about what does not need to go on it.
A first name is enough
A surname is not needed for a stranger to help, and leaving it off limits what a lost card reveals.
One short line about the condition
Some cards say "I have dementia" or "I have Alzheimer’s" instead. Use whichever your relative is comfortable showing a stranger.
One thing that would help
A single, clear instruction tells a shop assistant or a bus driver exactly what to do next.
One emergency contact
A name and a mobile number is enough. Leave off the address, date of birth and any account or financial details.
A first name, one short sentence about the condition, one thing that would help, and a single emergency contact are enough for anyone reading the card to know what to do next. Leave off the surname if your relative would rather, and leave off the address, date of birth, NHS number and anything financial. None of it helps a stranger in the moment, and all of it is a risk if the card is ever lost or shown to the wrong person.
Using it day to day
Where it helps, and how to keep it feeling ordinary
A card works best when showing it has become a small, practised habit rather than a big reveal. Try it together at home first, in a calm moment, so your relative knows exactly what to do when it matters.
Out and about
Travelling
If someone stops because they are worried
Some people prefer to keep the card in a see-through pocket of their wallet, so it can be angled towards someone rather than handed over. Others are happy to keep it loose and hand it across. Either way, it helps to agree the wording and the habit together rather than deciding it for them, so your relative feels it is theirs and not a label put on them.
A companionship carer who visits regularly can help with this too, building the habit of carrying and showing the card into an ordinary outing rather than it being something that only comes up in a crisis. What carers do on a companionship visit has more on what that kind of visit looks like, and the cost of care for dementia sets out what visits like this cost.
Getting a card
Where to get a free card, and what else is worth setting up
A card is the simplest of several small tools families use for the same worry, and it is worth knowing what the others do differently.
- 1
Decide the wording together
Ten minutesAgree the name, the one line about the condition, and the contact number your relative is comfortable with. Read it back to them and check they are happy with what a stranger would see. - 2
Get one free, or make your own
This weekThe Alzheimer's Society gives away free wallet-sized helpcards with a choice of wording, or write the same four lines on a small card and cover it in sticky-back plastic or a laminating pouch. - 3
Add a Sunflower lanyard if a visible signal suits them better
OptionalThe Hidden Disabilities Sunflower scheme lets someone signal to trained staff, in shops, at airports and on public transport, that they may need extra time or support, before anyone has to ask. It works alongside a card rather than instead of it. - 4
Set up the Herbert Protocol if wandering off is a worry
Fifteen minutes onlineThis is a form held by the police with a photo, a description and the places your relative is likely to go, so officers can start searching straight away if they ever go missing. It is a different tool from the card, built for a different moment, and worth having alongside it.
The Alzheimer's Society's helpcards are free and come in a choice of wording, including "I have memory problems" and "I have dementia", so your relative can pick the one they are comfortable showing. The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower scheme is a separate, visible option some families add for places like airports. For wandering specifically, Dementia UK explains the Herbert Protocol and how to set one up with your local police force. A medical ID bracelet or necklace, of the kind the UK charity MedicAlert provides, does a similar job to a card for a stranger who cannot get to a wallet, and adds a phone line they can call for more detail.
If your relative also finds the time or the day confusing rather than only strangers hard to explain things to, what is a dementia clock covers a different small aid built for that.
Questions
Questions families ask about assistance cards
Four short things are usually enough: a first name, one line about the condition such as "I have a memory problem" or "I have dementia", one thing that would help such as "please be patient", and a single emergency contact's name and number. What to write on the card, and what to leave off goes through each one.
The Alzheimer's Society gives away free helpcards in a choice of wording, sized to fit a wallet. You can also make one at home: write the same information on a small piece of card and cover it in sticky-back plastic or a laminating pouch.
A first name, a short line about the condition and one contact number is all a stranger needs to help, and it is what the card is designed to carry. Leave off the address, date of birth, NHS number and anything financial, so a lost card cannot be used for much beyond its purpose.
No. A card helps if a stranger meets your relative and wants to know what to do. The Herbert Protocol is a form held by the police, with a photo, a description and places your relative is likely to go, so officers can start searching straight away if they go missing. Dementia UK explains how to set one up, and it is worth having alongside a card rather than as a replacement for it.
Let them choose the wording and decide together where it lives, in a wallet pocket or a coat, so it feels like something they own rather than a label given to them. Practising showing it once at home, in a calm moment, usually makes it far less daunting to use for real. If it still feels too exposing, a Sunflower lanyard is a more visible alternative some people find easier, or a card kept out of sight until it is needed is enough on its own.
Yes. A companionship carer who sees your relative regularly can help them get used to carrying and showing the card as part of an ordinary outing. What carers do on a companionship visit has more on what that looks like day to day.