DF was told at the memory clinic &handed an Alzheimer’s society book. But he wasn’t having any of it, was rude about the medication and doctors to the Dr’s face , and in his hurry to leave the clinic fell over.
We got no further help from the clinic after that, and he remained in deep denial, and sadly paranoia that I’d got him falsely assessed in order to steal from
him :(
Alzheimers society and here were good for me to vent, and reinforcing that such accusations were common and I should try to distract him, & ignore them.
As others have said,
Attendance Allowance - order form now by phone, doesn’t need a diagnosis, just fill it in with worst possible day. If you need help they can send someone out to fill it in for you.
When you get diagnosis ask for confirmation in writing from clinic & her GP. With this find her Council’s Severe Mental Impairment reduced council tax form and fill it in, accompanied by copies of those letters as required proof. Ask Council to send letters about the award to you, or intercept them as DF raged when he saw the factual but awful form name and destroyed the first few before I caught them.
The Hospital admission booklet is invaluable, and be warned that every UTI and every hospital admission will probably increase dementia symptoms. I’d have pushed harder for hospital at home treatment at the beginning if I’d known what a terrible impact a week in hospital would have on DF’s state of mind going forward.
I added Tiles or Apple tags to his keys, wallet, anything else he regularly used and misplaced. And bought kids name tape stickers with my phone number on for lost things. This helped with the constant lost keys, wallet, phone, glasses cycle.
Hearing loss makes everything worse, so I got hearing aid tethers for out and for hospital, so that they were less likely to go missing. One was always attached to his coat and one in his hospital bag.
Our GP say they couldn’t help with the blue badge, as it is outsourced. We had to go for an assessment, which thankfully he failed. Once we did get it, register with the hospital car parks, and congestion charging zones.
After he died I found many books on preventing dementia & coping with symptom's in his library. Some with multiple copies, forgetting he already had bought them :(