Planning for future care

Planning for long-term care can be important to meet the needs of both the person with dementia and the family. Discussions with your spouse will likely involve not only care options but also factors that may complicate the strain of caregiving, including:

• The long-term emotional impact of caregiving
• An increase in the amount of time needed for caregiving as the disease progresses
• Changes in family roles as the disease progresses
• The costs of residential or nursing care

Planning ahead can ease some of the challenges and help your spouse and you address these decisions together.