If you have just been diagnosed with dementia, you may be worried and unable to take everything in. Give yourself a little time to adjust. It might help to talk it through with family and friends.
It’s important to know that you are not alone – about 900,000 people in the UK have dementia. It’s possible to live well with dementia and there is support available for you and your family.
Bracknell Forest Community Mental Health Team for Older Adults (CMHTOA) has services to support you and your family members throughout your journey with dementia. These include:
- the Memory Clinic
- the Dementia Advisory Service
- occupational therapy
- social workers
- community psychiatric nurses (CPN)
- speech and language therapy
- psychologists
Whatever your needs we are here for you.
Staying socially active after a dementia diagnosis is important for emotional wellbeing and cognitive health. Regular interaction, whether through community groups, hobbies, or online connections, helps reduce isolation, boost mood, and maintain independence.
Discover support groups and events
If you have a family member or friend who supports you, they may also want to know about the help available for carers. There are many local and national resources offering information, emotional support, and practical guidance.
You can find useful information from the:
Top 10 practical things to do
If you or someone you care for has just been diagnosed with dementia, our checklist is a great place to start when looking for support and resources. You may want to save the list to revisit at a later time.
Memory service
The Memory Service is run by the NHS. If you have been prescribed medication from them, you will receive this through the post.
You will be invited for a follow up appointment by the Memory Clinic nurse. They will review your medication and dosage and discuss any other concerns which you may have. Once you are stable on the medication, the Memory Service will discharge you. Your GP will then take over the prescribing of your memory mediation.
The Memory Service may discuss referring you or the person who supports you to various other local services and support groups.
They also have information leaflets about different medications, including how and when to take them and any side effects. You can find this on the Treatment support section of their recently diagnosed with dementia page.
Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST)
You may also be invited to attend a CST group. This is a programme of themed activity sessions held at the Memory Clinic one morning a week for 14 weeks. CST is one of a number of different approaches including therapy, that can support a person with dementia to cope with memory loss.
If you have someone that supports you with tasks at home, they may like to find more information for family carers.
Driving with dementia
If you are driving with a diagnosis of dementia you must tell:
- the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency
- your car insurance company
Having a diagnosis of dementia doesn’t necessarily mean you have to stop driving. You can continue to drive for as long as it is safe to do so.
You may find it helpful to use this NHS driving decision making tool (PDF, 5.8MB).
Employment
If you are still working, you may like to read the Alzheimer’s Society booklet on employment (PDF, 2.7MB). This gives information on work related issues including your right to reasonable adjustments in line with the Equality Act 2010.
Planning ahead
When you have been diagnosed with dementia you may already be dealing with changes that you did not expect. It can be even more difficult to think about the future. However, thinking ahead is a good thing to do. It can help you prepare for a time when it may be difficult for you to make decisions for yourself.
For more information, read about planning ahead on the Alzheimer's Society website.
Research
If you want to know more about dementia research and how you can get involved, contact our local research team by:
- phone: 01183 785700
- website: School of Psychology and Clinical Sciences, University of Reading
You can register your interest with Join Dementia Research by:
- phone: 0300 222 1122
- website: Join Dementia Research
Advocacy
If you would like someone to help you to represent your views, you can access our local Advocacy Service:
- phone: 0300 343 5702
- website: The Advocacy People