As a friend or a close family member, you will undoubtedly face many challenging issues, especially around dealing with emotions, both your own and the other person's.

Family and friends are often deeply affected when they hear of a diagnosis and may find themselves feeling hijacked into a carer role that they had never imagined or wanted.

If. you find yourself there, you may experience a variety of deep emotions.

• Confusion - where to turn for information and support?
• Isolation - I feel alone with this overwhelming development.
• Grief - for all that has been taken away and that you can no longer look forward to. 

What to do? Some suggestions

• Get professional counselling.
• Find a buddy you can share with. 
• Deepen your existing relationship. 

According to the research, dementia is on the increase for reasons we do not totally understand.

So, what can we do to prevent it?

• First, realise that dementia is a syndrome, ie, a collection of symptoms. Not all the symptoms are a sign of degenerative brain disease. Many can be alleviated so get yourself checked by a professional before jumping to conclusions. 
• Second, although there is an enormous amount we don't yet know about dementia, there seems to be some consensus that it starts many years before symptoms begin to show. So if you are in your 30s, 40s, 50s or 60s, you can start slowly to change factors in your lifestyle that may be affecting your brain. 

• Start by enrolling in the Wicking institute free MOOC, Preventing Dementia. The Wicking Institute is part of the University of Tasmania and focuses on clinical research into the causes, care and prevention of dementia. Preventing Dementia is part of a suite of programs developed to help the public have a better understanding of dementia, its probably causes and how to provide the best care.