{"id":238162,"date":"2026-01-30T16:37:36","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T15:37:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lorena-hoormann.at\/?p=238162"},"modified":"2026-05-05T14:50:05","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T12:50:05","slug":"diagnosing-dementia-society","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lorena-hoormann.at\/en\/diagnose-demenz-gesellschaft\/","title":{"rendered":"Dementia diagnosis: why it affects us all"},"content":{"rendered":"What actually happens after a dementia diagnosis? This question was at the center of the online conference \u201eDiagnosis Dementia \u2013 There's a lot to be done...\u201c, which took place in January Dementia Network Austria<\/a> was was carried out. This question hits a nerve that extends far beyond the medical system. Because a dementia diagnosis is not a neutral moment. It marks a transition in life. A transition that requires orientation, relationships, and reliable support. Or, as was aptly stated in the post-conference review: \u201eA dementia diagnosis is not a single medical act, but the beginning of a sensitive transition.\u201c<\/em>\r\n

1. Not about us \u2013 but with us<\/h2>\r\nA central idea of the conference was that far too often around the topic of dementia over<\/em> the affected individuals, relatives, and loved ones are spoken to, and too rarely with them. That this must change has also Article by Marianne Buchegger in The Standard<\/em> picked up: \u201eDiagnosis Dementia: Don't talk about us without us\u201c<\/a> (worth reading and highly relevant to the conference discussions). The online conference picked up exactly here: Voices of people with dementia, their partners and relatives, and experts from medicine, psychology, nursing, counseling, self-help, and science were placed side-by-side on an equal footing. Not to present quick solutions, but to make visible where structures support and where they (still) fail.\r\n

2. Why I am committed here<\/h2>\r\nI've been a member of the club for many years Safety net<\/a>. Originally, I joined the project as an external evaluator \u201eMindful 8\u201c<\/a> joined \u2013 and I stayed because the approach convinced me: to listen, to take seriously, to think ahead together. My own commitment \u2013 not just regarding dementia \u2013 is closely linked to questions of equal opportunity and equal dignity. As a future psychosocial counselor (LSB), I repeatedly experience how much support depends on,\r\n