ADDRESSING THE EARLY ONSET OF DEMENTIA: A QUALITATIVE STUDY1 IntroductionMany countries globally are facing unprecedented demographic changes, from high mortality and fertility to low mortality and fertility, resulting in an aging population population. Population aging is profound and long-lasting and has important consequences and implications for all aspects of human life. With a larger percentage of seniors, one of the biggest concerns is health and healthcare. The health of older adults generally worsens with age, and some diseases are more likely to be associated with older adults. One of these diseases is dementia. As life expectancy in the general population has increased dramatically 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 every year. According to Ferri et al. (2006), 4.6 million people worldwide are diagnosed with dementia every year and the number of people suffering from dementia in Europe will increase to 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 that is often associated with long-term care (LTC) in its later stages. However, while long-term care is an important consideration, quality of life and how people with dementia cope with the disease is also of great concern, but unfortunately is less addressed. Dementia can undermine a person's self-esteem and esteem and affects most aspects of daily life (Preston, Marshall, & Bucks, 2007) affecting quality of life (QOF). Traditionally, dementia research has thus far made... .focus of the article......35-341.SABAT, SR 2002. Epistemological issues 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 proxies make research decisions for patients with Alzheimer's disease. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 49, 1110-1119.WALD, D.S. 2004. Ethical Applications Bureaucracy.WHO. 1993. 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 dementia spread worldwide. Dis Associated Alzheimer's Disorder, 17, 63-7.