The First 90 Days: A Family's Step-by-Step Plan After a Dementia Diagnosis

You leave the clinic with a diagnosis, a leaflet and a follow-up date that feels far away. This book turns the long list of worries into a sequence: what to do this week, this month and by the end of month three, so your family can protect decisions and money, keep everyone safe, talk without fighting and look after the person doing most of the caring.

Who it is for

The family member or friend who will do most of the organising after a recent diagnosis, when the person with dementia is still in the early or mild stage and can take part in decisions. It covers families in the US, the UK, Canada and Australia, and keeps your relative at the centre of every decision.

The 90-day plan

• Days 1–30, steady the ground: understand the type and stage, start power of attorney, talk about driving, prepare an "if lost" sheet and call one helpline
• Days 31–60, put protections in place: medicines review, bank and fraud settings, advance wishes, home and falls check, needs and carer assessments
• Days 61–90, build the routine: documents registered and shared, services started, activity and rehabilitation goals, a weekly break and a family plan

Week one and every week of the plan have a minimum option for a tired person with a job and a full option for when you have more time or help. Almost every minimum step is free.

What is inside

• "The first seven days" and a "Find your page" table that maps common worries to the right section
• Understanding the diagnosis: MCI, dementia and normal ageing, the main types, symptom medicines and what families should know about the new anti-amyloid drugs
• How to talk about it together, and how to tell family, friends and others
• Protecting decisions and money: choosing the right legal papers where you live, making money harder to misuse and talking about future care wishes
• Driving, getting lost, home safety, falls and medicines
• Communication and changes in behaviour, including the four-step DICE method and troubleshooting for common situations
• Medicines reviews, hearing and sight, activity and preparing for a hospital stay
• Services and money help by country (US, UK, Canada, Australia), and a full chapter on looking after the carer, including breaks, family plans and rights at work
• Six printable tools: appointment sheet, money protection checklist, one-page key facts note, behaviour diary, missing-person profile and a two-weekly carer check-in
• Questions families ask, a glossary and a numbered reference list, with weaker sources clearly labelled

What you receive

• PDF edition: fixed-page layout that keeps tables, the 90-day map and printable tools as designed; best for printing.
• EPUB edition: reflowable text for compatible e-readers and reading apps. The printable tools are easiest to use in the PDF.

Both files are delivered as downloads after purchase.

Please note

This is a research-based general guide for families. It is not medical, legal, financial or tax advice and cannot replace professionals who know your situation. Laws, benefit rates and medicine approvals differ by country and change often; check current rules before you act. Never stop, start or change a medicine without the prescriber. If someone is missing or in danger, or there is sudden new confusion, call your emergency number. Dementia affects each person differently and no particular outcome is guaranteed. Figures were checked on 12 November 2026.