When a person receives a dementia diagnosis, this can be overwhelming for them and their loved ones, and can create uncertainty regarding how the person can navigate the complex and  often fragmented pathways required to support.
Families may imagine a future where they perceive the person’s experience of living with dementia as one of sudden decline. 

Dementia is seen as a disability, where the focus should be on providing environments that empower and enable people living with dementia to maintain independence for as long as possible and to remain in their own homes.

Independence is not about doing everything alone. It is about enabling the person to lead the process with the support of a multiagency approach, which promotes the principles of safeguarding, as well as, dignity, respect and choice. With the right support, people living with dementia can continue to lead meaningful, purposeful lives, not in spite of their diagnosis, but alongside it.

Shifting the Mindset: From Caregiving to Empowerment and Enablement

Traditional care models often position carers as problem-solvers and the person living with dementia as someone to be “looked after.”

Empowering and enabling focuses on a person led approach where the person dictates how their care should be provided and caregivers and professionals help facilitate this based on the unique needs of the person.

Empowering and enabling practices flip that narrative.

Instead of asking,
“How do I do this for them?”
We ask,
“How do I support them to keep doing what matters to them and allow them to lead the process?”

This shift:

• Builds confidence
• Preserves identity and skills
• Reduces stress for caregivers
• Strengthens bonds between families, support workers, and clinicians

When people are supported to use the abilities they still have, they stay engaged, emotionally, socially, and cognitively.

Why Empowerment and Enablement Matters In Promoting Independence

As the person living with dementia’s needs will be unique to them, the need to maintain a person led approach to promoting independence will support in:

• Maintaining self-worth and purpose through the provision of activities that are bespoke to the person.
• Staying connected to daily routines and strengthening skills and abilities.
• Reduce anxiety and distress through promoting activities that meet emotional needs.
• Reduce the impact of functional decline through the provision of an environment adapted to meet the needs of the person.

It also enables caregivers to focus on more positive interactions with the person, replacing constant supervision with guided support that respects autonomy.

Empowering and enabling in promoting independence is a human right, as such should be maintained for as long as possible.

Support, Not Control: Practical Ways to Maintain  Independence

Empowering and enabling independence looks different for every person and every stage of dementia, but common principles apply across the board.

1. Promote Choice and Decision-Making

Offer options rather than taking over:

• “Would you like to wear the blue jumper or the red one?”
• “Shall we have tea in the garden or the dining room?”

Choice reinforces identity and confidence.

2. Adapt the Environment, Not the Person

Small adjustments can make everyday life more accessible:

• Clear labeling on cupboards
• Simplified pathways and signage
• Lighting that reduces shadows and confusion
• Reducing noise and overstimulation

A supportive environment empowers and enables people to navigate independently.

3. Focus on Strengths

Even as some abilities change, others remain strong, abilities, memory, personal values, and emotional expression.

Build daily routines around what the person can do, not what they cannot do.
Celebrate small wins.
Avoid stepping in too quickly, skills and abilities used are maintained for as long as possible.

4. Encourage Meaningful Activity

Everyday tasks provide an identity and give a sense of purpose.

Therefore, activities such as cooking with support, caring for a pet, folding laundry, gardening, or joining community groups can foster connection and well-being. The goal is participation, not perfection.

5. Work in Partnership

Professionals, families, carers, and the person living with dementia form the most effective support system when everyone collaborates.

Shared learning and open communication reduce frustration and increase confidence for everyone involved.

Independence Does Not Disappear, It Evolves

Every person living with dementia deserves to be seen as more than a diagnosis.

With thoughtful support practices, independence can continue, sometimes in smaller ways, sometimes differently than before, but always with dignity at the centre.

This approach calls on us to listen more closely, step back strategically, and believe in what people living with dementia are capable of, not just what they may lose.

PMH Consultancy and Education: Supporting You to Enable Dementia Independence

At PMH Consultancy and Education, our mission is simple:

Empower and enable people living with dementia and their caregivers supporting them, to thrive beyond the diagnosis.

We offer evidence-based tools, education, and community support to help individuals, families, organisations, and professionals embrace an enabling model of dementia care.

Take the Next Step With Us

Individual Membership Subscription

Access learning resources, tools, and a supportive community to help you confidently support loved ones or clients living with dementia.

[Individual membership]

Organizational Membership Subscription

Equip your workforce with up-to-date dementia education, practical frameworks, and community support to build confidence across your teams.

[Organizational membership]

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