Still Deciding: Making Decisions After a Dementia Diagnosis

Ann is fiercely independent and has spent many years working in health and advocating for people living with dementia. Since her own diagnosis, that work has taken on a new dimension: figuring out what it means to keep making decisions for herself. Her husband Timothy is learning alongside her. The balance they've struck is constant and shifting. "There'll be days where I'm wearing different earrings, and Timothy will say, 'Do you realise you've got one of these and one of those?' And so I'll go and change one of the earrings, and perhaps be a bit terse, but in actual fact, I'm really pleased that he's telling me." A dementia diagnosis doesn't end your right or your ability to make decisions. But it does change what decision-making support you might need, and it can shift depending on the decision, the day, the stage of dementia and other factors. In this episode, Dr Craig Sinclair, a Senior Research Fellow at UNSW who specialises in the field, unpacks how supported decision-making works both legally and in practice, and why the right support at the right time makes all the difference.       NEED SUPPORT? Contact the National Dementia Helpline: 1800 100 500. Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week - funded by the Australian Government.   SERVICES & RESOURCES   Find links, services and information from this episode → https://www.dementia.org.au/episode-still-deciding    EPISODE CREDITS Produced by Liam Riordan | Sound design by Slade Gibson | Executive producers: Sarah Dabro and Kellie Riordan | Production manager: Ann Chesterman     FOLLOW DEMENTIA AUSTRALIA   Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn   Dementia Australia and Deadset Studios acknowledge the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognise their continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today. Dementia Australia acknowledges and appreciates the support of the Australian Government for this initiative.