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My belongings

If I have dementia, what will I do with my belongings?

When you’re worrying about dementia it’s natural to be concerned about practical matters. Here’s what helps…

It’s true that most of us have too much stuff. And if you’re concerned you might have early symptoms of dementia it’s normal to spend time feeling anxious about what you might do with your belongings in future. No matter what’s causing your concern it’s never a bad idea to think about what things are really important to you, and what isn’t and having a think about the things you’ve held on to.

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Future-proof your home

There are steps you can take now to make life easier going forward, whether you’re living with dementia or not. For example de-cluttering, clearing the loft, looking through the shed/garage. By dealing with things that are easily sorted out, such as large items of furniture that you no longer need, you’re taking control of your home environment.

This can take time, so start a list so you can keep track of what you’d like to keep, what you’d like to donate to charity, who you’d like to give certain items too. It might be worth breaking this down into short, medium and long term timeframes, too.

Do you need help?

It can be difficult dealing with personal possessions and making decisions based on an uncertain future, but you don’t need to make choices alone. It’s much easier to ask a friend or family member to help you go through stuff. They can help you to make your mind up about what to do with items you no longer want and help you to weigh up the pros and cons of whether to keep or clear when it comes to individual items.

Making a start

  • Sort clutter now
    Paperwork you no longer need; unsorted photos that need putting in albums or frames; unwanted gifts… these are quick ways to clear your home. Ask someone to help. It’s a good ideas to shred sensitive paperwork that contains your address, personal details or legal and financial information.

  • Make lists
    What can go now? What would you like to keep long term? Start a list to keep track and include notes like: ‘Keep now, but can go to Nephew Jack in future’.

  • Think about storage
    Not sure what you’d like to do with larger items? Storage facilities, although expensive, can buy you some time while you decide. You might have friends or family who can help you store items, too.

  • Donate
    Charity shops and registered charities are nearly always grateful for donations of unwanted items and some come and collect larger items, i.e. furniture.

  • Make your wishes known
    Speak to those you’d like to donate items to – or ask loved ones to have a conversation for you – and ask them if they’d like to receive certain items of yours, either now or in future. Make a note of the conversations so they’re recorded and let loved ones know there’s a list and where it’s kept.

If at some point in the future you find out that you are living with dementia, there are further steps you can take to make home life easier. Read more here