The Dementia Journey
When you find out someone has been diagnosed with Dementia, it can be a little awkward at first. Here are some practical tips so you feel more comfortable about the whole thing.
- When you meet someone with dementia, you have met a person with dementia – everyone is so different.
- When speaking to a person with dementia, direct your conversation to them and not their spouse or partner.
- Knowing someone "has dementia diagnosis" doesn’t mean they are in the late stages of the disease. Many years may pass between a diagnosis and the arrival of its most severe symptoms.
- Of course, people living with dementia are still human: Don't assume that outbursts of anger or forgetting something are always attributable to the disease.
- People living with dementia maintain friendships — and in fact, friendships are especially important, since staying socially engaged is essential to maintaining cognitive health.
- For doctors: After first diagnosis, please don’t tell a person they have five to eight years to live and to get their matters in order. That is too depressing — and it doesn't always prove accurate!
- Stop the tragedy narrative: We could all use a little hope — and we have little use for despair.
We must also not be afraid to ask the question: “What can I do to be a part of this journey, and what is important to you?”
