I'm 15 & my dad has dementia, I have an older sister who is 40, & a family I hardly know. My dad was diagnosed 2 years ago, & despite the efforts of my mum & I, he's getting worse. Last year he had a pacemaker & now he's having a hip replacement, where he'll be in rehab for three months. Cause of my mum's busy work schedule I'm being sent to live with my auntie I hardly know due a huge fall out my family had with my dad when I was three. I'm just scared of losing my dad & I don't know what to do

I’m sorry that this is all happening to you! You are very young to be dealing with all of this. Where does your dad live? Can you go visit him? Perhaps the best way to stay in touch is to write him letters and include your photo. You can also call, or maybe you can talk via Skype or another service where he can see you. Sometimes phone calls confuse people with dementia as their dementia progresses.

His dementia will always get worse, even if you guys do your best to help him. That isn’t your fault, it’s just the nature of the disease.

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Rachael Wonderlin is an internationally-recognized dementia care expert and consultant. She has a Master’s in Gerontology and is the author of three published books with Johns Hopkins University Press. Rachael owns Dementia By Day, a dementia care consulting and education company.

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