When consulted on this topic, many people with dementia and their supporting partners, share that friends tend to become distant and peel away and they feel the impact of this greatly. Often this peeling away can be because of stigmas and misunderstandings associated with dementia. (link to stigma section) Because of this, people can often feel afraid that they won’t know how to ‘be with’ the person with dementia. It may take you to initiate contact and reach out, helping those you are close to understand the experience of dementia, by educating and talking with them. This reaching out and sharing of information can contribute to the maintenance and sustainability of those relationships and to the continued work of bringing awareness to and debunking the myths associated with dementia. This in turn can bring great value to the experience of life for you and for the person living with dementia.