To help them decide who will pay for a person with dementia’s care, a local authority will carry out a financial assessment. The financial assessment for homecare is slightly different to the assessment for a residential care home.

There will be important decisions to make as the person nears the end of life, including whether they should be resuscitated if they have a heart attack, and any religious practices they want observed. Advance care planning can help to ensure that a person's wishes are known and respected.

A person with dementia who is in supported living can still be deprived of their liberty. A deprivation of liberty will still need to be authorised but the process is slightly different to the one for care homes and hospitals.

After a deprivation of liberty has been authorised there are still important safeguards to make sure they are protected, including appointing a representative. The authorisation should have an end date and it can be reviewed at any time.

The DoLS assessment makes sure that the care being given to the person with dementia is in the person’s best interests. There are six parts to the assessment: age, mental health, mental capacity, best interests, eligibility and no refusals.

Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) are a set of checks that are part of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Read about the DoLS procedure, which protects a person receiving care whose liberty has been limited, and tips to help you identify a deprivation of liberty.