It can be hard knowing when’s best to tell friends and family about a diagnosis and it’s natural to worry about upsetting people. But the sooner you tell family and friends, the sooner they can start giving you and the person with dementia much-needed support. If you’re ready to start telling people, take a look at the pointers below.
How to tell family and friends about a dementia diagnosis
- Check with the person who has been diagnosed that you have their permission to share the information first (if they are able to give permission).
- Be factual. Explain the disease, the symptoms the person might experience and how it might progress. This will help you process the diagnosis too.
- Involve the person with dementia in the process so they do not feel excluded (if they are able to)
- Share resources with friends and family so they have more information, this should remove some of the fear for them. They can also refer back to these after the conversation.
- If you want/need support, be clear on what you need. Be direct when asking for this so people know how to help.
- Try not to get stuck on what the progression of dementia will look like. Instead focus on the here and now. You can explain what the person with dementia is finding hard at present and you can say you’ll cross the bridge of later stages when you need to.
- Involve friends and family in activities that are familiar to the person with dementia.
Telling younger children about dementia
It’s important that children know about a dementia diagnosis but it isn’t always obvious how much information you should share with them.
Here we outline how to tell children about a diagnosis without overwhelming them or scaring them.
- Give the basics, ie. “Grandad might find this hard now or forget this etc.”
- To support their understanding, use a book specifically aimed at children that explains dementia.
- Be ready for questions and be factual in your responses to them so they aren’t scared.
- Be in a quiet space where you won’t be disturbed.