Just diagnosed with dementia: the first month.

Quick summary

The diagnosis appointment often tells you little about what happens next. In the first month: make sure there is a named care coordinator, set up Lasting Powers of Attorney while it is still possible, tell the DVLA and the car insurer, claim Attendance Allowance, and ask about the Council Tax disregard. 

First, give it a few days

A diagnosis can land as a shock even when everyone suspected it, and sometimes as a relief because it explains the last year or two.

There is a lot to do, but very little of it has to be done immediately. The one exception is Lasting Power of Attorney, because it relies on the person being able to make that decision, and that is easier sooner rather than later.

Around 944,000 people in the UK have dementia, and around 1 in 11 people over 65 (NHS, What is dementia). A diagnosis also opens the door to treatment, support and planning that are hard to get without one.

The first month

A named care coordinator

NICE’s dementia guideline recommends that people living with dementia are given a single named health or social care professional who is responsible for coordinating their care (NICE NG97).

In practice this varies. Sometimes it is someone at the memory service, sometimes a community nurse, sometimes it is not clear at all. Ask the memory clinic or GP directly: who is the named person, and how do we contact them? If there is no answer, ask again and ask for it to be recorded.

Lasting Powers of Attorney

This is the one that cannot wait long.

There are two types. A property and financial affairs LPA can be used as soon as it is registered, with the person’s permission. A health and welfare LPA can only be used when the person cannot make their own decisions. Most people make both. It costs £92 to register each one, unless you qualify for a reduction or exemption, and registration takes 8 to 10 weeks if there are no mistakes (GOV.UK, Make, register or end a lasting power of attorney).

A diagnosis does not mean someone can no longer make an LPA. What matters is whether they can understand and make that decision at the time. If LPAs are not made and the person later loses capacity, the family may have to apply to the Court of Protection for deputyship, which is slower and more expensive.

It’s worth considering getting independent legal advice for your individuals circumstances. 

Driving

NICE’s guideline says people should be told how dementia affects driving, and that they need to tell the DVLA and their car insurer about the diagnosis (NICE NG97).

Telling the DVLA does not automatically mean losing the licence. Many people in the early stages carry on driving for a time, sometimes after a driving assessment. Not telling them is a legal problem and can invalidate insurance.

Driving is often the hardest conversation in the whole first month, because the car can stand for independence in a way nothing else does. In rural parts of this area, around Chelford, Wincle or Longnor, it may also be the only practical way to get anywhere.

Money

• Attendance Allowance. For people over State Pension age who need help or supervision. It is not means-tested. From April 2026, £76.70 or £114.60 a week. Supervision counts, which is why many dementia claims succeed even when someone is physically able.
• The Council Tax disregard. Someone certified by their GP as severely mentally impaired, and entitled to a qualifying benefit such as Attendance Allowance, is disregarded for Council Tax. Living alone, that usually means no Council Tax. Living with one other adult, a 25 per cent discount (GOV.UK).
• Bank and utilities. Once a property and financial affairs LPA is registered, attorneys can deal with them. Many banks also have specialist teams for customers with dementia.

Support for the family

A carer’s assessment is available from the council in its own right, for the person providing care. It does not depend on the person with dementia being assessed.

Alzheimer’s Society runs a support line on 0333 150 3456 and local services. The Cheshire East Carers Hub supports family carers in Cheshire East. For Buxton and Whaley Bridge, and for Leek, Biddulph and Kidsgrove, the relevant council’s adult social care team can point you to equivalents.

What not to do yet

• Do not reorganise the whole house. Familiar surroundings help, and big changes can be disorientating.
• Do not take over everything. People early in dementia can often do a great deal, and doing it for them tends to speed up the loss of those skills.
• Do not make permanent decisions about care homes in the first month. Most people live at home for a long time after diagnosis.
• Do not stop talking to them about the plans. Decisions made with the person, while they can take part, are usually better ones.

Frequently asked questions

What should I do first after a dementia diagnosis?

Start with Lasting Powers of Attorney, because they depend on the person being able to make the decision. Then the DVLA, Attendance Allowance and the Council Tax disregard, and find out who the named care coordinator is.

Does a diagnosis mean she needs care straight away?

Often not. Many people need little or no help for some time after diagnosis. What helps early is planning, not necessarily care.

Can she still make her own decisions?

In most cases, yes. Under the Mental Capacity Act 2005, everyone is assumed to have capacity unless it is shown otherwise, and a diagnosis on its own does not change that.

Is there any treatment?

For some types of dementia, medicines may help with symptoms for a time. That is a conversation for the memory service or GP, and it depends on the type of dementia and the person’s health.

Should we tell other people?

That is the person’s decision where they can make it. NICE suggests services ask who they would like information shared with and record it. Many people find telling close friends and neighbours makes day-to-day life easier.

About Visiting Angels Cheshire East

Visiting Angels Cheshire East provides care at home across Macclesfield, Wilmslow, Knutsford, Congleton, Alsager and the surrounding villages of East Cheshire, along with Buxton, Whaley Bridge and the Staffordshire Moorlands towns.

• Carers trained in dementia, alongside Parkinson’s, stroke recovery and complex care.
• You see the same faces. Our carer turnover is 12 per cent, against a sector figure of 23.7 per cent (Skills for Care, 2025). Familiarity matters more with dementia than with almost anything else.
• You choose your caregiver. You meet them before care starts, and if it is not right you say so and we send someone else.
• No visit is ever shorter than an hour. Nobody with dementia does well being rushed.
• We start small where that is right, often with company a couple of times a week.

Sharon’s mother had been having visits for a fortnight when she wrote this:

“It is not something we ever thought we would need but Visiting Angels have been wonderful. They came to see us to find out exactly what we needed, even though we weren’t completely sure ourselves, but through our conversation we were able to put a package of support in place. They offered advice on other things that were available to us as well particularly financially. They put our minds at ease during what was quite a stressful time in our lives.”

Sharon Thornton, Google review

Not sure what you need yet? Start with a free assessment

Our free home care assessment is a visit at a time that suits you, with no obligation afterwards. In it we will:

• Work out what, if anything, is difficult now, and what is likely to need planning for.
• Talk through a realistic starting point, and what it would cost.
• Look at the money with you, including Attendance Allowance and the Council Tax disregard.
• Tell you honestly if you do not need us yet, which early after a diagnosis is often the case.

If you have just come out of the diagnosis appointment and are not sure what to do first, call us on 01625 720157. You can also send an enquiry, and you can see what our services cover.

Authored by Dr Niall Jawad, Director, Visiting Angels Cheshire East.

Published 21 September 2026. Last updated 21 September 2026.

This article is general information, not medical, legal or financial advice, and no substitute for advice from the memory service, GP or a legal professional about an individual’s circumstances. The author is a director of the company and is not acting in a clinical capacity, and Visiting Angels Cheshire East provides personal care at home rather than medical or nursing care. Fees, benefit rates and rules change; the figures here were correct at the date of publication. To the fullest extent permitted by law, GB Care at Home Ltd accepts no liability for any loss arising from reliance on this article.