Emirates Home Nursing

How to Communicate with Someone with Dementia?

Every person with dementia needs to be surrounded by sympathetic, patient people who can assist them cope with their frustration. We hope that families whose parents or grandparents struggle with the condition may deal with it guilt-free and joyfully, with a few straightforward recommendations and some practice.

Dementia doesn’t fall under the category of disease. It is a syndrome or condition that impairs a person’s cognitive abilities. The individual experiences difficulty with thought, memory, reasoning, and decision-making, which affects their daily routine and activities. The severity of the symptoms varies from mild to severe depending on the stage and kind of dementia. Emirates Home Nursing dementia experts would like to answer your most pressing question.

Keep your attention on the message you want to get through and speak to them in their language.

You can speak a little more slowly than normal and use fewer words. Attempt to avoid being ambiguous or using slang or other figures of speech; instead, directly describe actions.

Keep your cool and give them time to reply. If you ask them to hurry up, they'll feel under pressure, and it may get frustrating for both of you.

The most crucial thing is to speak quietly. Speaking loudly may make a person with dementia feel as though you are yelling at them because not all people with dementia have hearing impairments.

Eye contact and a genuine smile are nonverbal signs that show you are happy to be with them. They experience relief and stay happy.

To reassure them of your good relationship, use gentle touch as you speak to them. Observe their body language to ascertain whether they are at ease with you doing this.

Nobody enjoys being ignored or feeling alone. To lessen feelings of loneliness, involve the person with dementia in every group discussion. They might have more ideas than you think.

Despite a person's limited capacity for understanding, we must make sure to treat them with respect and dignity. Even if you speak to them with fondness, avoid using phrases like "honey," "sweety," and similar expressions in place of their names and preferred titles. Reposition yourself to be at their level if they are seated in order to facilitate a more relaxed and courteous interaction.

Emirates Home Nursing Experts and Dementia Specialists would like to give you the following tips in that respect:

Children are more likely to notice changes in their homes and their lifestyles. They are sensitive to indications like whispers and agitated body language. Even though you might be tempted to try to shield them, it is preferable to respond to their direct questions with direct responses.

A person with dementia could make absurd statements. Instead of disagreeing with them or correcting them, you and your child should play along with them.

Children are very intuitive when dealing with people with dementia, so it would help if you let your kids share the weight of the conversation with a dementia patient with you. You can engage them in topics like "Why don’t you tell Grandpa about the birthday party you went to last week?"
You can also organize activities that your child can enjoy with their dementia-stricken grandma. Whether it's singing, playing games, listening to music, or coloring.

A person with dementia may become alarmed if they can't see you when you're speaking to them. You only need to habitually take note of where your child is standing and gently prod them in the appropriate direction as needed.

Do not worry if your youngster interacts with an elderly person who has dementia. Encourage their interest and let them deal with the situation.

If you’re unable to be around your loved ones with dementia because of your busy schedules, you can contact Emirates Home Nursing and we will provide one of our expert nurses to come and support your family.
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Leen Nasreddin

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