The Future

Despite the UK Government's Department of Health publishing 'Living Well with Dementia - A National Dementia Strategy' in February 2009, and subsequently publishing an update in September 2010 entitled 'Quality Outcomes for People with Dementia : Building on the Work of the National Dementia Strategy', (you can find a copy of this in the Information Section of this website, under 'General Information', in the 'Downloads' section), the future can be an uncertain one for the vast majority of people with Dementia.

In clinical terms, the immediate future for Dementia is uncertain. Research is ongoing and even though there have been some major breakthroughs in the last few years, there is currently no cure for Dementia. This means that as a person living with Dementia, you will experience an inevitable decline in your memory, manual skills, and day to day abilities depending on the type of Dementia diagnosed, and the stage it has reached. This is not to say it's all doom and gloom. People with Dementia can continue to live happy and productive lives with the support of their family, friends, and the wide range of effective therapies, medicines, treatments, and services available.

During the early stages of Dementia, when memory and motor skills are at their least affected, it is advisable to try and organise your financial and personal affairs so that they can be dealt with by an appointed trustee when the time comes that you feel you are no longer able to deal with them yourself. The key to successful management of your Dementia is planning. With the help of your carer, family and friends, it is possible to get everything set up in advance so that you can pass over responsibilities when the time is right for you to do so.

The information under the other headings in this section should give you some ideas on how to get this done.