When the Diagnosis Is Dementia: How to Cope

When you reach age 65, you have a one in 10 chance of developing dementia during your remaining lifetime. Clinicians are now making a concerted effort to diagnose dementia in the early stages when patients may still have the capacity to understand the disease's course and to make important decisions about future care and interventions.

Being told you have an incurable disease that slowly robs intellectual functioning can take an emotional toll. Adjusting to a diagnosis at any stage of dementia is a complex, evolving process for the person diagnosed and his or her family. You may experience mixed feelings and a range of reactions, including:

·         Loss of Self

Dementia poses a threat to personality and character. Understandably, dementia's symptoms, such as forgetting faces and struggling to express yourself, can leave feelings of loss, uncertainty and frustration. Experiencing acute grief and mourning your loss of self-identity is common.

·         Unawareness

Most individuals with Alzheimer's disease aren't aware they have impaired memory and thinking. For others, unawareness increases as the disease progresses. This suggests that unawareness is part of the brain disease in some individuals.  Arguing with them or repeatedly demonstrating to them that they're forgetful won't help and is likely to upset them more.

·         Denial

Other individuals outwardly deny or ignore the diagnosis of dementia but seem to be aware from their behavior that they have a problem. Research suggests that this reaction can sometimes be a self-monitoring strategy in an attempt to be seen by others as a person, not an object, and maintain self-esteem.

·         Relief

Certain individuals and their loved ones report feeling relief upon hearing the diagnosis of dementia. The anxiety of not knowing what's causing symptoms like forgetfulness can be a tremendous burden. A diagnosis can confirm suspicions that dementia is the cause and legitimizes the need for support and therapeutic interventions.

·         Secretiveness or Embarrassment

It's common for individuals to be reluctant to reveal their dementia diagnosis for fear of how others might perceive them. As a result, these individuals are often tempted to stop seeing friends or family members and become socially isolated - outcomes that are clearly undesirable, since studies show that maintaining social connectedness is key to coping with the psychological impact of a dementia diagnosis.

·         Anxiety, Anger, Sadness or Depression

These are all normal reactions. Demoralization is especially common in the disease's early stages the same way it is when grieving any other loss. Behavioral therapy or counseling may ease feelings of anxiety and depression if they interfere with everyday functioning.

(Source:  John Hopkins Health Alert, 9 June 2014)