Some families aren't even told the diagnosis. This situation is absurd and I agree with the authors of the report who call for families to be treated as "partners in care".

What can you do?

Advice and support
Following a diagnosis of dementia, anxieties grow about the future. It may be helpful for the sufferer to talk to someone outside of the family, so suggest they contact the Alzheimer's Society or see a counsellor to explore ways of coming to terms with it. Reassure and support them as much as you can but don't start taking over while they can still manage by themselves.

Let them remain independent for as long as possible while still encouraging them to talk to you about their condition. If they're happy for you to be involved, try to attend as many of their appointments as possible and make sure their GP and consultant know they can share information with you.

Plan for the future
Discuss wishes for the future before they're unable to make decisions for themselves, as dementia can progress quite rapidly. One or two friends or relatives can be appointed as welfare attorneys, which gives them power to make decisions over treatment and care when the sufferer is no longer competent.

This can be done through a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA). The forms involved in an LPA are complex so you may want to ask for legal advice.

Use all available resources
I'm troubled by the report's findings that many patients are simply told to come back in a year after the initial devastating diagnosis of dementia. Fortunately, there are brilliant organisations such as the Alzheimer's Society, which give crucial information and support in the early stages.

The Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) can also advise on practical matters such as support given by local voluntary organisations and entitlement to benefits. Ask your local social services department if a community care assessment can be made. This can make it easier for people with dementia to stay in their own home or to find a place in a care home. Also find out from the GP or consultant what services can be arranged, such as community nursing.

Try memory helpers
There are many practical ways to help people with dementia, such as putting up a bulletin board with a daily list of things to do, placing contact numbers by the phone, labelling cupboards and drawers, and leaving notes around the house as reminders to switch off appliances and lock up.

You could also investigate psychological treatments that can improve symptoms of dementia such as cognitive stimulation, which involves activities and exercises designed to boost memory, and reality orientation therapy aimed at reducing feelings of mental disorientation.

Some of these treatments are provided by healthcare services, so check with a GP or consultant.

Look after yourself
When you're caring for someone with dementia, it's easy to neglect your own wellbeing. Give yourself a break whenever you can by finding someone who will help for a while, or investigate local respite care or day centres. Carers of people with dementia are entitled to a separate assessment of their needs and you may be eligible for services provided by the local authority.

Joining a local carers' support group is a great way to find people who really understand what it's like, and gives you a place to let off steam.

Spot the symptoms
Dementia mainly affects people over 65 but there are 15,000 younger sufferers in the UK.
The first symptom is usually forgetfulness.

To assess memory, a few simple questions can be asked:

Other symptoms include:

• Gradual loss of intellect affecting reasoning and understanding
• Difficulty in engaging in conversation
• Emotional outbursts, rapid mood swings
• Wandering and getting lost
• Feelings of disorientation and confusion

If you're worried about someone, encourage them to see their GP and insist they are referred for tests.

Counting the cost of useful drugs
There is no cure for dementia but there are drug treatments called acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, such as Aricept, that can improve symptoms or temporarily slow down the progress of Alzheimer's disease, the most common cause of dementia.

These are currently not available on the NHS to people with mild Alzheimer's, even though there are proven benefits in some patients. If Aricept is denied in the early stages, patients can buy it privately without jeopardising their NHS care.

Patients can get private prescriptions through a consultant, GP or a private hospital but the cost could be more than £1,000 a year. In Scotland, some patients are prescribed Aricept for mild Alzheimer's but increasingly this is being restricted by Primary Care Trusts.

A newer drug called Ebixa can temporarily slow the progression of symptoms in people in the middle and later stages of the disease and may also help behavioural symptoms such as aggression and agitation. It's not routinely provided on the NHS but can be prescribed privately if deemed suitable.

Source: Daily Mirror

Pic: IVAN VICENCIO