Network
(17-08-2005)
It is important to continue living your life as it was before the diagnosis was made. You do have to take some things into consideration, however, as the disease progresses and you gradually need more help and support. In that situation, it is extremely important to be clear about who can help you. You will need help to structure everyday life and plan the future.
The most important help comes from your friends and family. Therefore, it is a good idea to create your own personal network where you, in consultation with your close relatives, make arrangements for who will help you with various tasks. It could, for example, be gaining control of your finances or arranging inheritance matters, etc. A personal network provides you security on a daily basis, you have someone to advise you and help you keep appointments, etc.
Example of a network group:
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"When I found out I had a dementia disease, I called a family meeting and created a network group. My ex-wife, my daughter and my two good friends each took on their particular responsibility for different tasks which I would have trouble handling and keeping track of myself in the future. For example, my ex-wife took on the task of being the contact person for homecare, my good friend became familiar with my finances, the other friend went to consultations in the memory clinic with me and my daughter became my guide when I needed to go places I was not familiar with."
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