COping with the EARLY ONSET OF DEMENTIA: A QUALITATIVE STUDY1 IntroductionMany countries around the world are facing unprecedented demographic changes ranging from reduced mortality and fertility high to low mortality and fertility, leading to population aging. Population aging is profound and lasting and has major consequences and implications on all facets of human life. With a greater proportion of older people, one of the biggest concerns is health and healthcare. The health of older people generally deteriorates with age, and certain diseases are more likely to be associated with older people. One of these diseases is dementia. As the life expectancy of the general population has increased significantly since the turn of the century, more and more people are at risk of developing dementia (National Institute of Aging, 2000). Dementia affects an increasing number of people each year. According to Ferri et al. (2006), 4.6 million people worldwide are diagnosed with dementia each year, and the number of people suffering from dementia in Europe will reach 13 million in 2040; and Wimo et al. (2003) estimate that approximately 63 million people worldwide will suffer from this disease by 2030. This has crucial implications since it is a disease often associated with long-term care (LTC) with its later stages. However, while long-term care is an important consideration, quality of life and how people with dementia cope with the disease are also of great concern, but unfortunately less discussed. Dementia can undermine a person's self-esteem and self-esteem and affects most aspects of daily life (Preston, Marshall, & Bucks, 2007), thereby affecting quality of life (QOF). Traditionally, dementia research has so far done.... . middle of article......35-341.SABAT, SR 2002. Epistemological problems in the study of insight in people with Alzheimer's disease. Dementia, 1, 279-293.STEEMAN, E., DE CASTERLÉ, BD, GODDERIS, J. & GRYPDONCK, M. 2006. Living with early-stage dementia: a review of qualitative studies. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 54, 722-738.SUGARMAN, J., CAIN, C., WALLACE, R. & WELSH-BOHMER, KA 2001. How surrogates make research decisions for patients with dementia 'Alzheimer's. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 49, 1110-1119.WALD, DS 2004. Ethical Applications Bureaucracy.WHO. 1993. The ICD-10 classification of mental and behavioral disorders: diagnostic criteria for research. In: WHO (ed.). Geneva: World Health Organization. WIMO, A., WINBLAD, B., AGUERO-TORRES, H. & VON STRAUSS, E. 2003. The extent of the onset of dementia worldwide. Disorder associated with Alzheimer's disease, 17, 63-7.