Newly diagnosed: dementia
Newly diagnosed with dementia? Here is this week.
Newly diagnosed with dementia, start gentle and start now, while the patient can still take part in setting things up: the faces and names of the people the patient loves, the everyday phrases in plain adult words, and the routine written down the way the patient likes it. ExpressAgain's Dementia and Senior Care mode is live, with big buttons and familiar faces first, and the papers that let the family speak for the patient later have a page of their own.
What to do this week
Choose the Dementia and Senior Care mode
The Everyday & Familiar phrases open first: needs right now, Where am I? What day is it? When is my family coming?, the people I love, calm and comfort (sit with me, hold my hand, play my music), and help me remember (Did I take my pills? Did I eat?). The people I love uses the names on My People.
Where it lives: Phrase Library · Read how it works
Put the familiar faces on My People
Each person the patient loves gets a card with a photo and Call, FaceTime and Text buttons, and a Speak button that says a line like Please call my daughter, so reaching out does not depend on finding the words.
Where it lives: My People page · Read how it works
Write the day down the way the patient likes it
The day plan, named after the patient in the menu, is the daily routine as a story for a new sitter and as a printable timeline: time blocks with the steps under each one, a how-to video the family records, and a log of who did each step and when.
Where it lives: The day plan · Read how it works
Start the papers while the patient can take part
Important papers lists the health care power of attorney, the living will, the financial power of attorney, the Medicare permission to share and the rest, with the signing rules for the patient's state, a status for each and the signed copy kept private. Information, not legal advice.
Where it lives: Important papers page · Read how it works
Today: the everyday phrases, the familiar faces, the day written down and the papers started.
How to start
Create a free account: your name, email, a password and who the app is for, with the patient's name. Communicating is never behind a paywall, so nothing on this page waits on a card.
The first time you sign in, choose Set up the patient's care or Start talking now: a few questions, one per screen, saved as you answer, that open the right pages first and become the patient's plan.
From My People, tap Invite family and friends: each person gets a personal link that works once and a role (full access, family, or extended). On the Care Team page, add every doctor as a card to tap and call.
Read next
- Just got the diagnosis? Here's what to do next.
- Home care, home health, hospice or palliative care? What each one means, and when you need it.
- Do you really need a caregiver, or do you need a nurse?
- How to choose the right care provider for your loved one.
- How to build a care schedule for your parent or loved one.
- The tools and equipment you'll actually need to care for someone at home.
- How to coordinate family visits without overwhelming anyone.
- Caregiver burnout is real. Here's how to protect yourself.
Questions people ask
What does the app do when the patient cannot remember whether the pills were taken?
The dose log answers it: every dose is logged as given, skipped, refused, missed or late, with who and when, and the Everyday & Familiar phrases include Did I take my pills? for the patient to ask out loud.
Can the professionals who help at home see the routine?
Yes. A professional who joins the Home Team opens the same day plan on the care-team dashboard, video first, steps under it, and ticks each step off; the family sees who did it and when. The blog's Dementia communication at home has the conversation habits that go with it.
Is there a Marketplace page for dementia care?
Yes. Dementia care on the Marketplace searches professionals who offer it by ZIP code, and a profile's Credentials tab shows the training on file.
Is it free to start?
Yes. Free is where everyone starts, and communicating is never behind a paywall: tap to speak, the phrase boards, the sentence builder, Letters, the Phrase Library, lessons, Games and Play, the emergency screen, the Emergency Plan Card and the built-in voice. Free also invites 2 family members to the Family and Friends Feed. The Pricing page shows the plans side by side.
What happens after I sign up?
Sign up asks for your name, email and a password, and who the app is for. Then the guided setup takes four short steps: who the app is for and the condition mode, text and button sizes, a voice and the first people, then a review. Entering the patient's name and date of birth pins the two phrases hospitals ask for constantly.