Who should you tell after you get a memory impairment diagnosis?

(Chapter 1 Symptoms and Diagnosis in my book)

I would start by letting your immediate family and very closest friends know about your memory impairment diagnosis and how it is impacting your life. Let them know how they can help you. I would also let them know that you really need their support rather than them dismissing your diagnosis. I think that it is difficult for families to understand what it is like and I think that sometimes denial might be a reason for that. During my diagnosis process, I told my immediate family and closest friends. The only way that I can feel supported is if someone close to me knows about my diagnosis and how they can help.

When I got my diagnosis, my children were fifteen, nineteen and twenty-three. Even though my three grown children are aware that I have this problem, I don't think that they really get it. My goal is to educate them, but not overwhelm them with information. They are now twenty-eight, thirty-two and thirty-six.

My family and very closest friends knew that I was having tests done to rule out dementia. I know that after I received my first diagnosis, I came home and talked to my three children about it. Then I made three phone calls, two phone calls were to my closest friends. The hardest phone call that I had to make was to my Mom. That was a difficult phone call because my first diagnosis was (EOAD) Early Onset Alzheimer’s Disease. I remember that we both cried on the phone

Although I am cautious about telling new people who I meet because I want them to get to know me first before they know about my diagnosis. I think that for me, since I was diagnosed in 2005. I have had thirteen years of living with the diagnosis. I think that has allowed me to be more vocal about it.