Abstract
“You have dementia.” Dreaded words that physicians hate to deliver and individuals wish never to personally receive. Dementia is typically regarded as a death sentence, a disease without a cure, a long slow deterioration, increasing dependency, and a loss of hope. But framing dementia in this way only adds to the fear and stigma surrounding this disease. One of us (BL) has spent over 30 years of clinical practice ruling out all other possibilities before telling a patient they have dementia. The other one of us (DW), partnered her mother, Alice, through a long dementia journey, during which Alice would often ask “Where am I? Why am I here?” Together, we trace some of the social origins of dementia's stigma and offer a way to restore hope that is independent of whether a cure is on the horizon or not.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
