Dementia

Thinking about Dementia can be upsetting. You might want to look at this

leaflet with someone you trust like a healthcare worker

Created by Support Plus

January 2017

2

Dementia

Contents Page

Where to find more

information on Dementia Page 13

What is Dementia? Page 3

What happens when

you have dementia? Page 4, 5 and 6

Why does it happen? Page 7

Things that can help

you feel better Page 8 and 9

What others can do

to help you cope Page 10, 11 and 12

3

Dementia is a name for an illness

in the brain

Our brain is inside our heads

Our brain helps us to

remember things

What is Dementia?

Our brain controls our bodies

Our brain helps us talk

Our brain helps us walk

Our brain helps us eat and

drink

4

Dementia can affect many things.

Dementia mostly affects the way you

remember and do things

What happens when you have Dementia?

You might forget people’s names and

faces. You might lose things

When you have Dementia

You might get confused about where

you are

You might find it hard to do things

like using a knife and fork

You might forget words

5

What happens when you have Dementia?

When you have Dementia your behaviour might start to change

You might find it hard to concentrate

You might find it hard to tell people

how you feel

You might get angry and start to throw

things or shout and scream because

you are confused or scared

You might keep asking the same

question

6

What happens when you have Dementia?

When you have Dementia you might get upset and cry a

lot because you feel

Worried or frightened

Angry

Sad

Often dementia can get worse over time. This can happen

slowly or more quickly. Everyone who has dementia will

experience it in their own way

7

Why does it happen?

There are different types of dementia.

Different types of dementia have

different causes

An illness or injury to your brain

Some things that can cause dementia are

A problem with your blood

Drinking too much alcohol

If you want to know more about why

dementia happens you can speak to

your GP or nurse

8

Look through magazines or photo

albums to help you remember things

and people

Have a bath or listen to some music to

relax

Use a calendar or diary to help you

remember things

Keep doing things you enjoy even if

you need a bit more help

See your friends and family

Things that can help you feel better

When you have dementia you can do things to help you

feel better. It might help to

9

Exercise

Exercise makes people feel good.

You could go walking, dancing or

swimming

Eat healthy foods

It is always important to eat

healthy foods

It might help to

Things that can help you feel better

Talk to someone else

You might feel better if you talk to

someone like a psychologist or

counsellor about your worries

10

If you are worried about yourself

or someone you know you can ask

someone you trust to help you

Your GP

What others can do to help you cope

This could be

A Community Nurse

A friend or someone from your

family or a carer

11

Others can find ways to help you cope by

Talking slowly and calmly to you

Making sure you have time to talk

about things

Giving you more time and help

to do things

Understanding when things don’t go quite

right. Understanding that you might be

feeling upset or finding things difficult

What others can do to help you cope

12

Others can find ways to help you cope by

Helping you to remember things

Helping you to do the things you enjoy

Supporting you to do the things you

need to do

What others can do to help you cope

13

Where to find more information

The Alzheimer’s Society

National Dementia Helpline

0300 222 11 22

Age UK

Advice line 0800 678 1174

Dementia UK

Helpline 0800 888 6678

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This leaflet was created by Aneurin Bevan and the Support Plus Team Authors Support Plus Team Date Created March 2017 Thank you to Photosymbols for the use of images

Your GP

If you have questions about dementia or

want to know more you can speak to your

GP

Support Plus website

An easy read website with information

on Mental Health

www.wales.nhs.uk/supportplus

Where to find more information

Samaritans

You can talk to them anytime about

how you feel

Freephone 116 123

Website www.samaritans.org