Effective Approach
In communicating with the person with Dementia, you will need to:
01
Introduce yourself by name/association.
02
Validate responses and feelings verbally.
03
Use short simple senteces..
04
Introduce yourself by name/association.
05
Ask primarily yes/no questions.
06
Use word cues.
07
Try to gues what the person wants..
Approach
Communicating with a patient with Dementia can be quite physically and emotionally draining, if you are not used to it. The tips listed below will help you to communicate with a client with Dementia more effectively, which will benefit the standard of care you provide:
A
Use a simple verbal approach - use concrete and familiar words.
B
Prompt instead of testing the client’s knowledge. Use non-verbal cues to help the client understand.
C
Use a calm, pleasant tone.
D
Avoid use of judgment and maintain a strong sense of respect for the client.
E
Provide validations of the client’s experiences and feelings.
F
Have patience and repeat yourself as needed.
Verbal and Non-Verbal Techniques
Verbal
In the early, and for part of the middle stages of Dementia, verbal techniques may be used to calm and reassure the person with Dementia. They allow you to redirect the person to achieve a more positive interaction. Consider the following example. The client says: “My mother is coming to get me.” If you said, “No, your mother died years ago,” the client would either begin to grieve for her or refuse to believe what you are saying. Instead try something like: “You must miss her. What kind of work did she do?” or “What things did you enjoy doing together?”These statements allow the client to respond to the idea of the lost person and go with the flow of the ideas. Direct the client to think about positive memories of the person, rather than the idea that their mother is no longer alive.
Non-Verbal
When communicating with a client, the goal is to avoid any situations likely to create anxiety or conflict. Both will cause the person with Dementia stress. Use the non-verbal techniques listed below to ensure that you interact with your client in a positive manner, causing them as little stress as possible:
- Smile and approach gently, from the front
- Establish eye contact on the same level
- Reduce or eliminate background noise
- Use items that provide visual cues
- Nod the head for agreement or encouragement
- Remember to smile
Scenarios: Self-Reflection Exercises
COMMUNICATION SCENARIO A
The following scenarios represent situations that will allow you to consider the communication techniques necessary when treating clients with Dementia.
CASE SCENARIO ONE: Margaret at Bedtime
Laurie was assigned to assist Margaret with getting ready for bed. Margaret was accustomed to putting her nightgown on by herself and was very shy about being undressed. Laurie knocked on the door and entered Margaret’s room to assist her. She found Margaret had put her nightgown on over her clothes. Laurie didn’t think that Margaret would be comfortable sleeping in her clothes, so she wanted to convince Margaret to take off the nightgown. Margaret resisted and Laurie began using a hands-on approach to help her. Since Margaret’s ability to communicate is moderately impaired and she was unable to express her fears and frustration, she became increasingly agitated. She tried to tell Laurie that she was shy and embarrassed, but could not verbalize her feelings and instead pushed Laurie away and threw the nightgown on the floor.
COMMUNICATION SCENARIO B
Later that same week, Laurie is caring for Frank and is building a trusting relationship with him. Trust and a friendly approach are very important to Frank, since he can become agitated quite easily. Even though Laurie heard from other caregivers that Frank verbalized unusual stories, Laurie has not experienced that type of communication with Frank. Laurie and Frank have been getting along very well until one evening just after dinner. Shortly after entering his room, he comes out of his room calling out for “Help!” Laurie comes running and asks Frank, “What happened, Frank, are you all right?” Frank is very distressed and tells Laurie there were four people in his room, each one yelling and screaming at him to “Get out, get out!” Laurie wants to reassure and comfort Frank.
Question
QUESTION: Which communication approach would you use to convince Frank that it was safe for him to go back into his room and get some sleep?
COMMUNICATING WITH COLLEAGUES
If you are providing care to a patient with Dementia in a formal setting (i.e working for a care agency), chances are that you administer care to your patient with the support of at least one of your colleagues. It is vital to maintain a professional and healthy relationship with your colleagues. If you fail to do so, it will affect the standard of care you can provide to your patient.
Speak clearly and directly.
Use the person’s name whenever possible.
Use a friendly tone of voice.
Ask for repetition or clarification if you are unclear about a message.
Never yell or discuss client care in front of that client or other people
Be carefully to report critical information related to a client's achievements and challenges.
Take notes when appropriate, to assist in improving communication with colleagues.
Note: Follow the tips outlined below in order to maintain a healthy relationship with your colleagues: Maintain good eye contact.
TEAMWORK
It is important to remember that one person cannot administer care to a person with Dementia. It takes a team. This team will not always be a formal team consisting of coworkers. It can also consist of family members or friends.
To build a strong team, follow the T.E.A.M. guidelines below:
- • Trust yourself and others. Trust builds a sense of acceptance of others. Trust creates confidence in self and others. Trust establishes a “safe harbour” and feelings of security.
- • Attitude can be your best friend (you decide). Attitude creates positive and negative reactions. A “Can do” attitude motivates others. Attitude reflects your true character.
- • Empower yourself to be your best. Empowering gives permission to excel. Empowering challenges your ability to be creative and innovative. Empowering authorizes you to explore your talent and uniqueness.
- • Model teamwork to others. Modelling good teamwork is an example for others. Modelling exhibits a sense of cooperation. Modelling encourages others to be “team minded”.
