It is hard to take in all the information
Some care partners said that at the time the person they support was told that they had dementia, they found it hard to take in any other information that the doctor shared with them.
Some care partners also told us that they weren’t given enough information at that appointment.
Care partners and people with dementia strongly suggest making a follow-up appointment to find out more about the particular type of dementia and to ask questions.
For example, you and the person you support may want to have an explanation of the test results that the doctor used to diagnose the dementia (e.g., cognitive and behavioural symptoms the doctor thought were significant).
The doctor might give recommendations on things you and the person you care for can do to treat, compensate, or adapt to life with dementia. The doctor can also give you advice on how you can support the person with dementia and care for yourself in the process.
We’ve put together a list of Questions to ask your doctor that people often ask soon after a diagnosis of dementia is made. You might find this helpful as a starting point for the questions you’d like to ask – print them out or write them down so you can ask them during the next appointment.
List of questions for your doctor
Print the list of Frequently Asked Questions to ask your doctor and add your own questions to take along with you at your next visit to the doctor.