Dealing with money

If you are caring for someone who has dementia who is still able to manage basic finances then you may want to suggest that they set up direct debits for their bills.

This can be a great help to them. If they choose not to then you can contact their fuel companies to let them know that the person has dementia. Leave an alternative contact number with them so that they can contact you if bills have gone unpaid.

If the person you care for is your spouse then you may find yourself having to deal with finances for the first time. This can be a daunting experience. 

You should start by finding all the important documents, insurance polices, bank statements, pension details and wills and putting them in a safe place. 

Joint accounts can be a very good way to manage your finances. However most people set up their joint accounts to only operate when both people have the capacity to use them. Keeping separate accounts is also a good idea when it comes to paying for care.  

The person with dementia can set up a third party mandate to allow you to have permission to manage their bank account on their behalf. However, like joint accounts, these are only valid while the person has capacity. 

We hope that this article has given you a few ideas about handling money for the person that you care for. If you found this article useful then please explore our website further to see more articles that may be of use to you.