02/04/2023
Dementia can often make communication difficult. This can have an impact on your relationship with the person you care for. Although, it can even make them or you frustrated, sad or angry, it is important to keep talking together to stay connected. Here are some small tips to help you communicate better with someone living with dementia:
1. Use simple language and keep sentences short. When needed, change from open-ended to closed-ended questions that can be answered with YES or NO.
2. Try to stay in control of your feelings. It is important that you show compassion, even if a person living with dementia makes you upset, repeat the same questions over and over again, or if understanding each other becomes increasingly difficult. You need to use extra effort and be patient with the person you care for and that is also the reason why you need to prioritize your self-care.
3. Use touch, hold hands or do a gentle massage to communicate warmth, connection, safety and love.
4. Use music – it is truly a universal language. Play music that the person you care for likes helps to make him / her feel good.
5. Try to maintain your sense of humour. This will help reduce frustration and tension.
6. Talk with them about what they like and need. It is an important conversation to have more than once, as things change over time.
7. Ask or tell the person living with dementia one thing at a time. Make sure there are no distracting background noises such as a television or radio.
8. Complimenting the person you care for is important. In general, it is much more effective to say what someone is doing well, than to say what they are doing wrong. A compliment can range from commenting that someone has done something well to saying that they look nice. You can give compliments in different ways and in different situations
9. Facial expressions and body language tell us how a person is feeling. Other examples of body language include fidgeting, having arms crossed or pacing. These can give us messages about how the person may be feeling.
