Managing symptoms and changes
Strategies to manage symptoms
Sharing a dementia diagnosis
When someone you know and may be close to is given a diagnosis of dementia, it can be difficult to know whether to tell other people. You may want to protect the person you support, or you may be worried about how people will react.
Communicating a dementia diagnosis
As a clinician, part of your role may be to give someone a dementia diagnosis. Giving a diagnosis of dementia can be challenging, even for experienced clinicians. Knowing the key steps to giving a dementia diagnosis with a positive frame is helpful for your patients, family care partners and for yourself.
2.1 Feelings you may have after being told you have dementia
Understanding your feelings is a key step in moving forward with dementia
2.2 Managing how you feel about life with dementia
Be confident and positive in your life with dementia
2.3 Telling others about your dementia diagnosis
Your dementia diagnosis affects others too. Share your diagnosis and move forward with dementia
2.4 Manage how others treat you
Strategies for when others treat you differently because you have dementia
2.1 Your emotional reaction to the dementia diagnosis
Coming to terms with a diagnosis of dementia is a key step in moving forward
2.2 Talking about dementia
Sharing a dementia diagnosis helps others to understand it and for you to come to terms with it
2.3 Managing how others treat you, and the person you support
Managing when others treat you differently because of dementia.
1.1 Understand your dementia diagnosis
Know your dementia.
Understand your symptoms and treatment options to help you take steps to adapting to life with dementia.
1.2 Adapting to your dementia diagnosis
You can adapt to dementia and continue living your life
1.3 What may happen in the future
Knowing about future dementia changes may help you prepare
1.1 Understanding dementia helps to live positively with the condition
Getting advice and learning from others can help you and the person you support better understand dementia to live more positively
1.2 A dementia diagnosis can help you adapt
Getting advice and learning from others can help the person you and the person you support better understand dementia to live more positively.
1.3 Planning helps deal with the uncertainty of the future
Knowing how the future may change with dementia can help you prepare support and care.
3.1 When dementia gets in the way of living a meaningful life
Find therapies and strategies to help you live a meaningful life with dementia
3.2 Managing memory and thinking difficulties
Strategies, therapies and medications to help with your memory and thinking
3.3 Managing driving
Driving with dementia and other transport options
3.4 Managing difficulties at home
Strategies and therapy to help your life at home
3.5 Managing with difficulties when out
Strategies and therapies to help you talk to others and manage everyday activities
3.1 Managing memory, thinking and perception difficulties
Strategies, therapies and medications to help with memory and thinking
5.1 Plan for now
Plan for this year, have conversations, work out how to achieve your plans
5.2 Plan services for support
Get support in place as you plan for now and the future
5.3 Plan ahead
Put written plans in place now to help with making decisions in future
4.1 Boost your physical health
Exercise, diet, sleep and health care to boost your physical and brain health
4.2 Boost your brain health
Build emotional resilience, be mentally and socially active to boost your brain health
3.2 Managing driving
Keeping or stopping driving after a dementia diagnosis
3.3 Managing symptoms when out and about
Helping the person you support to keep going out and socialising with others
3.4 Managing symptoms at home
Solutions and methods to help with life at home
4.1 Taking care of your health and living well
Look after your own health, to help you both move forward with dementia
4.2 Taking care of your wellbeing
Look after your own health, to help you both move forward with dementia.
4.3 Look after your emotional and mental health
Look after your feelings and stay connected with others to manage challenges of caring.
5.1 Plan for now
Plan for this year, have conversations, look into services
5.2 Plan services to get support
Get support in place as you plan for now and the future
5.3 Plan ahead
Get written plans in place to help you share your wishes for the future
3. Connecting people with dementia to support
Connecting people with the right support at the right time.
2. Responding to the person’s needs at their dementia diagnosis
Sensitively managing reactions to a dementia diagnosis.
5.1 Support shared decision making and planning ahead
Help the person with dementia and their carer to plan healthcare and wellbeing as they move forward
4. Supporting changes due to dementia
Helping the person and their carer understand and manage changes.
5.2 Practical support for shared decision making and planning ahead
Practically support shared decision making and planning ahead to move forward with dementia.
1. Help the person and carer move forward with their dementia diagnosis
Giving an informed, person-centred dementia diagnosis to help people move forward.