Right at Home's Tips for Interacting with a Loved One Who has Dementia
What Is Dementia?
Dementia is a general term for loss of memory, language, problem-solving and other thinking abilities that are severe enough to interfere with daily life.
The most common cause of Dementia is Alzheimer’s disease.
Tips for Communicating with Someone Who has Dementia
- When getting the patient’s attention, you should limit distractions and noise
- Initiate conversation by giving your name and relation to the patient
- Sit close to the patient with open body posture
- Maintain eye contact
- Use non-verbal cues to redirect the patient’s attention (eye contact, hand on shoulder, gestures)
- Avoid raising your voice and using negative facial expressions
- Ask simple questions; resist asking open ended questions when possible
- Try not to present the patient with too many choices
- Break down any directions you are giving the patient into a series, one step at a time
- Listen patiently!
- If the patient does not understand what you are saying, try re-wording your sentence
- Use the surrounding environment to come up with conversational topics
Sources: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dementia/communication-and-dementia/
Want to Learn More?
These following resources contain additional information for the patient and caregiver.
If you need someone to help care for your loved one, Right at Home is here to help. We have caregivers that are specially trained to understand and work with the unique needs of Alzheimer’s and dementia clients. If you’d like to know more, or be put in touch with a professional to assist, please don’t hesitate to get in contact with our office at (267) 568-2638.
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