I Know someone with Dementia
You’re on this page because you may have dementia or have been diagnosed by a medical clinician. Deter Dementia is here to help you on this journey and to ensure that life remains as fulfilling as possible for you and your family for many years to come.
First and foremost, it’s crucial that you see a healthcare professional who has knowledge and experience with cognitive impairment. If possible, you should see a specialist in brain health. Depending on where you live this could be a Geriatrician, Neurologist, Psychiatrist, or even a Family Physician who has interest and expertise in this area.
Many people think they may have dementia, but in fact there are many reasons as to why they may not have the right diagnosis. An expert needs to review your medical history, current medications, lifestyle habits, and more to begin the process. Testing needs to occur to see if there is any other possible explanation for your cognitive concerns.
We know this can be a scary time but we’re here to help. Dr Naqvi and his team have developed a systematic approach, fine-tuned through years of practice, to help ensure you get the right diagnosis from your doctor in a timely manner.
We provide a lot of information on our website on dementia which is a great place to start for you What is dementia. If you want even more in depth information, sign up here for regular updates Sign Up or consider Deter Dementia University for an even more comprehensive and in depth understanding Deter Dementia University.
We will help you get through this. If you follow the steps outlined on this website and in our program, you will be giving yourself (and your family) the best chance of slowing this disease down so you can continue to live a fruitful life for many years ahead.
Family Member
Being told your loved one has dementia is not easy. This must be a stressful time for you and your entire family. Sometimes your loved one may recognize their cognitive issues but many times (most, in fact), they may not believe that anything is wrong.
Don’t worry. We are going to help you along this journey. We are going to be here to help educate you on the condition and ensure that both you and your loved one are getting the best care possible.
First, we need to ensure that your loved one has received the right diagnosis. They need to see a healthcare professional, ideally along with a family member present, to discuss the concerns and problems you have noticed. Your healthcare professional will then ask you questions about the condition, review your family member’s medical history, medications, and other important lifestyle factors that affect cognition.
They will need testing and possibly a referral to a specialist to explore this in more depth.
Here at Deter Dementia we will provide you the framework you need to go to these appointments prepared and able to get the most out of your interactions with the doctors and specialists involved.
We also realize that there is a lot of support that you need as a family member. You’re thinking about the future and what this may mean for your loved one. You’re probably wondering how this will affect you and your other family members. Let us be here for you. Let us support you and your family to ensure that you’re doing everything possible for your loved one.
But let’s not forget about you. You may be worried about your own risk of getting dementia. You definitely want to empower yourself to do everything possible to reduce your future risk. Here at Deter Dementia we will give you the best, evidence-based advice and resources to reduce your own risk of cognitive decline in the future.
Sign up to our newsletter here Latest News to get regular updates on programs and strategies. If you really want to do everything in your power to reduce your individual risk, consider our customized solutions that will guide you through this in a way that treats you as the unique and individual person that you are.
Not everyone needs the exact same strategies to reduce their risk and not everyone needs to prioritize them the same way. At Deter Dementia, we understand this and have built our whole program around customizing solutions for you as the individual that you are For Myself.
We also have resources for your loved one to help address the various care needs they may have.
Resources Page:
Place for user to enter their address, zip code, or postal code
Once entered, a list of resources for their area come up (or the nearest area)
Will need a list that pulls up location-specific:
- PSW Support Agencies
- Healthcare supply stores (ie. wheelchairs, walkers, etc)
- Hearing Assessment Centres
- Sleep Assessment Clinics
- Respite care centres (usually in retirement homes)
- Retirement Homes
- Caregiver support programs (usually through Alzheimer’s Society or similar agencies)
- Other – Is there something else you’re looking for? Enter it here and we will work to help you find it.
Being told your friend has dementia can be difficult to process at times. You may have known this person for many years and noticed their personality changing a bit over the past while. They may have been more withdrawn, less talkative, and possibly repeating themselves more than they used to.
You are lucky that your friend (or their family) consider you close enough to share such a diagnosis with you. Unfortunately due to the stigma associated with any cognitive condition, many people choose not to share it and simply become less engaged with friends due to fear of them finding out or fear of being judged.
You have an important role to play for your friend but we also need to take care of you. You may be wondering what you can do to deter dementia for yourself. You may be looking for focused strategies to help reduce your risk and allow you to be there for your friend but also for yourself and your family.
Deter Dementia was created to help you navigate this complex area and find solutions for both yourself and your friend.
We have resources for your friend if you’re closely involved in their life and looking to help Friends. We also have lots of information on this site to help you. You can sign up for our newsletter to get regular updates or even join our Deter Dementia University program to educate yourself as much as possible.
Your role as a friend may be a bit different than it used to be, but your friend will need you more than ever now. By learning more about their condition and the ways you can help, you’ll help that friend that means so much to you and possibly even help their family in the process.
If you want to do everything in your power to deter dementia for yourself, we’ll help you do that as well. We have lots of information on how to deter dementia and even more in-depth, customizable solutions for you if you were interested how to deter dementia.
Thank you for being an amazing friend and trying to do your part for the person that means so much to you. Let’s work together and make this easier for your friend, and also for you.
