Good Communication

This week is turning out to be much busier than I was thinking it was going to be. The finishing details for the Hudson Hot Air Fair are being figured out, and I am awaiting finding out the final schedule. I will keep you updated on those as soon as I know more. Hopefully, the snowstorm today doesn’t isn’t too big!

Today, I thought it would be really important to discuss some of the best communication techniques for talking to someone with dementia. I have learned many of these through communicating with my father but there are also resources that can help you learn more about communication.

Communicating with someone with dementia- My Top Ten:
 1.     Ask clear questions
 2.    Give them plenty of time to answer
 3.    Be understanding
 4.    If you can tell that they are struggling it is ok to help
 5.    It is OK if they forget
 6.    Show them love and compassion
 7.    Ask them questions that will help build their confidence
 8.    Express that you are there for them
 9.    If an answer doesn’t make sense, try to clarify but if you still can’t make sense of it, move on.
 10.  Be honest, someone who has dementia can tell if you are telling a lie to them.

Everyone with dementia is different and it will take time to develop good communication with different dementia patients, but it is important to remember that their doing their best to communicate with you.

Please share if you have developed good communication skills with someone you love who has been diagnosed with dementia.

Here are some resources for communicating with dementia patients:

Resource 1

Resource 2

Resource 3