First Steps After Diagnosis

You may have been wondering what is happening to you for some time now and have probably been worried and anxious about the changes you’ve noticed.

This information is for you as you make adjustments and plans for next steps.

Realizing that you are living with dementia can be upsetting; however, for some people who have been worried about themselves for some time, a diagnosis can help explain unexpected changes and challenges.

Often people find it easier to manage changes if they can understand what is happening and its implications. This knowledge can also assist in beginning to plan for the future.

Talk about the diagnosis

Tell people close to you

When you are ready, it is important to tell your family and friends who don’t already know about your diagnosis, that you have dementia.

This might be difficult for you, as a diagnosis of a cause for dementia is very difficult to come to terms with. But it is better that people close to you are clear about it so they can have time to adjust to your condition, find out about dementia and learn how best to support yourself.

Learn from others who are speaking about their experience:
Books written by persons living with a form of dementia

Nothing about us, without us!: 20 years of dementia advocacy by Christine Bryden

Other books written by Christine Bryden

Somebody I Used to Know: A Memoir by Wendy Mitchell

What I Wish People Knew about Dementia: From Someone Who Knows by Wendy Mitchell

One Last Thing: How to Live with the End in Mind by Wendy Mitchell, Anna Wharton

Dear Alzheimer’s: A Diary of Living with Dementia by Keith Oliver