Finding out suddenly that a loved one has Alzheimer’s disease is often a difficult experience. Usually, the family goes through several stages in accepting the disease, although each journey is different. The loved one can first deny the reality: it is the denial. He then tries to convince himself that the symptoms observed in the person are linked to aging and that the doctor may have made a misdiagnosis. Then there is a stage of negotiation during which he becomes aware that the person is sick, but he persuades himself that a solution exists to improve the situation. He then made several changes which unfortunately proved ineffective. At the end of this stage, the loved one may go through a phase of depression. He realizes that the process is inevitable and that no treatment can improve the patient’s condition. Worse, he realizes that over time, the symptoms will get worse.

This last phase can generate insomnia, irritation or even aggression. It is then a question of making the deuil of a person who is not dead but who, little by little, loses mental capacities: it will never be possible to have the same exchanges with the loved one. This mourning for the existing relationship is accompanied by mourning for the role: the child becomes the parent and vice versa or the spouse becomes the caregiver and the tasks are redistributed. In the years to come, the loved one must expect to have to accept a lot of grief. To help him live them as well as possible, he will have to recognize them, accept them and focus on what is still possible to do and not on what is no longer possible. It is then important to seek and accept the support of those close to you and to continue to give yourself time.