What is dementia? You may be supporting someone living with a formal diagnosis of dementia, or you may be finding changes in someone’s ability to recall recent or long-term memory which is affecting their daily life. Whatever your situation, there can be a lot of myths around dementia. I found it helped to read up on my Dad’s dementia. It was hard to start with, and frankly quite daunting, but the more I read, the more I realised that everyone’s dementia symptoms are different. Of course, some people had difficult stories to share, but it’s the same with everything, everyone had a different experience and I prefer to be informed.
8
If you think that someone may have dementia, or you or someone close to you has just received a diagnosis of dementia, you are likely to want to know more information. In modern times, it’s natural to head to the internet and search ‘dementia’. You are likely to find a wide variety of information, covering many different types of dementia. You may find it difficult to sort through everything, you may be overwhelmed by other people’s experiences of dementia and its symptoms. If you want to know more about dementia, it’s important to look for quality information, and filter through what you read. Organisations like Alzheimer’s Society or Alzheimer’s Research UK have a lot of useful publications that can help to inform you. They are written by experts but in an easy-to-digest way. If you’re going to start anywhere, this is as good a place as any. This publication intends to give you an overview of dementia, living with the symptoms of the condition and planning for the future. We’re starting with some common examples of www.carechoices.co.uk/dementia
