Having the conversation - Dementia edition

HAVING THE CONVERSATION — Before the Words Are Gone

An Advance Care Planning Prompt Pack for Dementia

By Rose Sexton, RN, End of Life Doula & Author

What if you could start this conversation before it becomes too late to have it?

A dementia diagnosis changes everything — including the timeline for the conversations that matter most. The window to ask someone what they want, who they want beside them, what a good life and a good death look like to them, doesn't stay open forever. Many families don't realise this until it's already closing.

This prompt pack exists to help you walk through that window while it's still open.

What you get:

A guide built specifically for the dementia journey — from the moment of diagnosis, through the conversations that can still happen, to the decisions families face when those conversations no longer can. Each prompt pairs with AI guidance (Claude or ChatGPT) to help you process what you're feeling and prepare for the real conversation ahead.

This isn't about doing everything at once. It's about doing the next right thing, with permission to feel everything that comes with it.

Who this is for:

• Anyone who has just received a dementia diagnosis — for themselves or someone they love
• Adult children and partners trying to find the words before time makes that harder
• Families further down the path, navigating decisions without the conversation they wish they'd had
• Healthcare professionals, aged care workers, and death workers supporting others through this

About Rose:

Rose Sexton is a Registered Nurse with 45+ years of palliative care experience, a death doula, author, and founder of End Stage Matters — an end-of-life doula and death literacy education service. She's sat with families navigating dementia from diagnosis through to the very end, and knows both how urgent and how hard these conversations can be.

A note from Rose:

"If you're reading this, you're already braver than you think. A dementia diagnosis brings grief and overwhelm that's hard to put into words — and yet here you are, willing to do exactly that. Acting now, while you still can, won't take away the heartbreak. But it will bring you both real peace of mind, and you'll be glad, later, that you didn't wait. Your future self will thank you. Trust me."

Two versions included:

• Full colour version (for screen reading)
• Print-friendly version (no background colours)