Enhancing Communication

Dementia not only interferes with thinking and memory, but also affects language skills. Persons with dementia struggle to find words, put sentences together, and stay on track with a topic. Eventually, persons with dementia lose the ability to verbally communicate. Over time, these individuals also have difficulty understanding what is being asked or said to them. Therefore, it is essential that caregivers stay alert to these changes and adapt communication skills in order to stay connected.

These tips can help you be more successful:

  • Always be respectful.
  • Create a calm environment, and minimize or eliminate distractions, such as TV or radio.
  • Show signs of caring in your tone of voice and facial expressions. Body language is often well understood. Persons with dementia are sensitive to the emotions of others and may react to them, for example, mimicking an emotion such as anger.
  • Simplify your conversations and questions. Allow enough time for the person to understand your message and to respond.
  • Be encouraging and reassuring if the person is having difficulty communicating with you or understanding your message.
  • Use gestures to help get your message across. A gentle touch of the person's arm can assist to communicate your message. For example, greeting the person by name and extending your hand may result in a typical response.
  • Consider using touch, whether through holding hands or a gentle massage, to communicate warmth, connection, safety and love.
  • Use music as a "universal language." Musical selections based on the personal preferences and pleasures of the listener provide the best opportunities for making meaningful connections. Try songs with pleasant memories that have been heard repeatedly over the person's lifetime.
  • Provide favorite foods as additional ways to maintain meaningful connections. Food continues to be enjoyed until the last days of life. The person with dementia often favors food that is soft in texture and sweet in taste.
  • Focus on providing pleasant conversations using photos, picture books, fond memories, music, or even a favorite movie. The focus is less on content and more on appealing to emotion. Please remember to provide a balance of sensory calming and sensory stimulating activities to enhance well-being.

To help prevent conflict:

  • Do not assume the person is unable to understand what is being said. Never talk about the person as though he or she is not present.
  • Avoid confrontation, and do not argue with the person over facts. There is a saying: "No one ever won an argument with a person with dementia."
  • Avoid quizzing the person on names, dates, or other facts. Not knowing the answer may be frustrating and embarrassing. Try to use more "yes" and "no" questions.