Reply To: How do I get a diagnosis?

[Katy Evans]

Hello, thankyou for your post and for sharing with the forum. It is a challenging situation and one which understandably can cause a lot of tension between families and friends. It sounds as though your husband may be very frightened about speaking about his memory changes and is reacting with anger due to this. How have other carers in the forum found these initial steps? Any suggestions of what can help?

The GP would be the first point of contact, however, a person’s mental capacity for specific decisions (such as needing a referral to the Memory Team) needs to be determined. In this case, the GP would need to consider this before making any referrals. If your husband has capacity and declines the referral then this could not be taken further. If he lacks capacity then a best interests discussion would need to be considered. It may be beneficial to consider if you or your husband would benefit from an advocate to support you through that process?

As a carer. you would be entitled to an assessment in your own right. This is to talk about what support you may need in caring for someone. To access this you can contact your local authority who will ask some basic questions about the support you provide and how this impacts on you/you’re well-being. They can also signpost you to local carer services.

Covid has been an isolating time for everyone and particularly carers such as yourself. Dementia Carers Count is a charity aimed at supporting family carers and reducing isolation. We have a lot of information to support on our new Virtual Carers Centre and also through the Live Online Learning which cover a range of topics. In the near future, there will also be face-to-face courses available both Nationally and Regionally. Kind Regards, Katy