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Coping and support
By Mayo Clinic staffReceiving a diagnosis of dementia can be devastating to you and your loved ones. Many things need to be considered to ensure that you and those around you are as prepared as possible for dealing with a condition that's unpredictable and continually changing.
Care and support for the person with the disease
Throughout the disease you may experience a wide range of feelings. Here are some things you can do to help yourself cope:
- Learn as much as you can about memory loss, dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
- Write in a journal about your feelings and experiences.
- Join a local support group.
- Get individual or family counseling.
- Talk to a member of your church or another person who can help you with your spiritual needs.
- Stay active and involved, volunteer, exercise and participate in activities for people with memory loss.
- Maintain contact and share your feelings with friends and family.
- Participate in an online community of people who are having similar experiences.
- Find new ways to express yourself, such as through painting, singing or writing.
- Delegate help with decision making to someone you trust.
- Be patient with yourself.
Helping someone with dementia
You can help a person cope with the disease by being there to listen, reassuring the person that life can still be enjoyed, providing unconditional love, and doing your best to help the person retain dignity and self-respect.
Caregiver support
Providing care for a person with dementia is physically and emotionally demanding. Often, the primary caregiver is a spouse or other family member. Feelings of anger and guilt, frustration and discouragement, worry and grief, and social isolation are common. If you're a caregiver for someone with dementia:
- Ask friends or other family members for help when you need it
- Take care of your physical, emotional and spiritual health
- Learn as much about the disease as you can
- Ask questions of doctors, social workers and others involved in the care of your loved one
- Join a support group
- Find out about supportive services in your community, such as respite care
- Dementia: Hope through research. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/dementias/detail_dementia.htm#1318919213. Accessed Jan. 25, 2010.
- Dementia. Alzheimer's Association. http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_dementia.asp. Accessed Jan. 25, 2011.
- Alternative treatments. Alzheimer's Association. http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_alternative_treatments.asp. Accessed Jan. 25, 2011.
- A guide to dementia diagnosis and treatment. The American Geriatrics Society. http://www.americangeriatrics.org/press/listservs/december_10_2010427672/id:1442 Accessed Jan. 25, 2011.
- NIH State-of-the-science conference statement on preventing Alzheimer's disease and cognitive decline. National Institutes of Health. http://consensus.nih.gov/2010/docs/alz/alz_stmt.pdf. Accessed Jan. 7, 2011.
- Ritchie K, et al. Designing prevention programmes to reduce incidence of dementia: Prospective cohort study of modifiable risk factors. British Medical Journal. 2010;341:c3885.
- Rusanen M, et al. Heavy smoking in midlife and long-term risk of Alzheimer disease and vascular dementia. Archives of Internal Medicine. In press. Accessed Jan. 25, 2011.
- Siedlecki KL, et al. Comparison of patient and caregiver reports of patient activity participation and its relationship to mental health in patients with Alzheimer's disease. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Services. 2009;64B:687.
- Scarmeas N, et al. Physical activity, diet, and risk of Alzheimer's disease. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2009;302:627.
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