When is help needed?

Dementia is one of the few diseases where you know with certainty that the condition will deteriorate and you will need help and support. It may be a good idea early on in the course to talk with your family about the future and make some arrangements. Even though nobody can predict precisely how your relative's situation will progress, many families have benefited from talking about the future. The topics may vary widely from picking out clothes, drivers license, housing, finances, etc.

The following describes some of the tasks and functions that help maintain normal everyday life, and which you should be aware of. The larger perspective, as mentioned, involves topics that need to be discussed on an ongoing basis. It comes as a surprise to many relatives that dementia has such a rapid, negative effect on the tasks and functions that help make everyday life function.

When you help another person, it is important to provide the help that the person feels they need. It can be very different from what you, as the helper, feel is important. When providing help to someone who is demented, you are also up against the disease itself as judgment and understanding are often impaired. They may not believe that they need help. Communication will require a very special effort, which will be described in the following.