STAND's Approach

An issue for people who are living with a diagnosis of dementia is the stigma that continues to surround the condition. People live in fear of getting a diagnosis and when they do receive one, they feel their worlds have come to an end and life as they know it has to stop.

After receiving a diagnosis of dementia, people can become isolated and despondent as the world becomes closed to them. People of working age are expected to “retire” and loss can become a dominant feature.  A risk averse culture can surround the individual with an emphasis on what they can no longer do, rather than what they can continue to achieve. 

STAND encourages people to explore a diagnosis at an early stage and to seek peer support as a means of finding out how to live well with dementia. 

STAND believes people living with dementia can live a good life and have a positive and fulfilling life.  Accepting the diagnosis so that support can be put in place at an early stage and having support from peers are key to STAND's approach.