Dementia Support Line
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Life after a dementia diagnosis: a guide to setting and reaching goals that matter to you
Dementia can bring a lot of changes to a person’s life. Working on a goal can have a positive impact, providing a focus and making a person feel more confident and in control. My Life, My Goals is a self-help guide created for people in the early stages of dementia by people with dementia and researchers.
People with dementia often feel happier when supported with daily activities and things that bring joy to their life. It's not always necessary to stop doing these things after a dementia diagnosis; they may just need to find different ways of doing them.
A person living with dementia in the early stages can benefit from a practical strategy that works for them as an individual. A care partner might be able to support problem-solving and help develop the strategy.
My Life, My Goals is a self-help guide designed to help people living with dementia, step by step, try to achieve their goals.
There are two versions of the guide available to download. The digital guide can be downloaded to use on your computer, tablet or phone. The printable guide can be downloaded to print off at home and use. Both versions are 60 pages. Hard copies are not available to order.
Helping to create My Life, My Goals - Allison's story
Allison lives in Dundonald in Northern Ireland. She is 61 and was diagnosed with dementia in 2017. Allison has been part of the project team creating My Life, My Goals.
My Life, My Goals is perfect. It tells me that my life is important and I can take control. It’s my life, it’s my goals.
'Dementia takes so much away from you. I came away from being given my diagnosis thinking my life was over. You are handed a lot of leaflets and information, but it is very medically based. It’s very daunting stuff. If I had been given My Life, My Goals I would have been given hope.'
Read more about how Allison took part in creating the guide.
About My Life, My Goals
Who created the My Life, My Goals self-help guide?
Alzheimer’s Society funded an implementation project called GREAT into Practice (GREAT-iP) to support the researchers from the GREAT trial, led by the University of Exeter, to adapt their cognitive rehabilitation therapy to real-life practice.
Together with people living with dementia, they created the self-help guide, My Life, My Goals, to enable other people living with dementia to set and achieve goals.
What is the GREAT dementia research trial?
GREAT stands for:
- Goal-oriented cognitive
- Rehabilitation in
- Early-stage
- Alzheimer’s and related dementias: a multi-centre single-blind randomised controlled
- Trial.
The trial demonstrated that people with dementia were better able to achieve their goals in every-day tasks if they had received goal-orientated cognitive rehabilitation therapy. That’s why the Society funded GREAT-iP, to put GREAT ‘into Practice’.
What is cognitive rehabilitation therapy?
Cognitive rehabilitation is a type of therapy that can make managing everyday activities easier for people with early-stage dementia.
It is often delivered over several sessions between a therapist and a person living with dementia. The therapist will help the person living with dementia to plan how to meet their goals and will support them to do so.
Several studies have shown that it can help to maintain independence.
Watch a two minute video that explains cognitive rehabilitation:
How will the self-help guide benefit people with dementia?
The dementia researchers identified that not all people with dementia were able to access a therapist to receive cognitive rehabilitation therapy.
They also found that some people who were recently diagnosed with dementia were able to identify their own goals and strategies, but might benefit from support to do this.
The people with dementia who helped create the guide wanted other people living with dementia to feel hope.
Hope that are ways of managing any difficulties, hope that there are solutions to problems and hope that people living with dementia can live a good life.
Get your copy of the self-help guide
Download your free copy of My Life, My Goals (PDF). There's a digital version and a printable version. Hard copies are not available to order.
Tell us what you think
If you have downloaded either version of the guide and used it, we'd love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to leave a comment below, or send an email to [email protected]
Joan Cesarini
saysI first want to thank you for sharing your story without any strings attached.; Especially on the topic of memory loss. It is amazing when one first shares their story without dollar signs
My following story is about older people with expected memory loss; But the mind & body feels the opposite .
I am 84 years old and do not have dementia “yet.” Because my 3 siblings who had dementia in their later years At age 87 - 93 yrs..
My 1st Oldest sibling ..my brother died at 95 yrs-
My 2nd 95 yr brother’s memory started failing at 93 who is is now in a memory Facility & is adjusting.
My 3rd 94 yr sister’s memory started late 80’s
And did not know me at 93 yrs of age.
My mom died 2 months shy of 100 yrs. Her memory weakened in late 90’s.(is this called senility.?
There is longevity on my mom’s side.
I am frightened because I am still mentally & physically healthy but anticipating the same results. I am a worrier. My dear 77 yr old husband diet suddenly -heart attack at 77.
1 1/2 yrs later I finally admitted I needed help. I was diagnosed as being hyper vigilant.
I took after my My hyper vigilant Dad who died at 72 but was diagnosed in his later yrs-with very high blood pressure.).
I am a very young 84 yr old (I feel like I’m 50 with amazing energy but get depressed Because of my Loving siblings who had the energy …do not know me.
I know I am blessed in so many ways with 5 loving children, 16 grandchildren & 4 great;
grandkids.; but I keep voicing that we are living too long because of my fear of dementia.
As of today, I am so fearful of. Memory loss.
I know I should not anticipate what my future holds & I thank God everyday how blessed I am .thank you
Joan Cesarini
Georgiana
says