How to Chat With Someone Who Has Dementia

1. Keep It Simple

People with dementia may find it challenging to process multiple topics simultaneously, and they may be overwhelmed by open-ended questions. Keep your communication concise and focused—ask them one question at a time and make it as specific as possible.

For example, instead of inquiring what they want to wear, give them options by asking if they want to wear the red or blue sweater. As their caregiver, you can also apply this technique to discussions about practical tasks and recalling fond memories.

2. Remove Distractions

Some people with dementia are easily distracted and have short attention spans. Before talking, help them focus by addressing them by name and identifying yourself by name too.

When possible, speak to your loved one in a quiet space. If you’re at home, eliminate distractions, like loud music or the TV. If you’re at a restaurant or in a public place, find a quiet area away from noisy crowds.

3. Use Body Language

Dementia can harm the part of the brain that controls language, making it difficult to interpret and use speech. Use nonverbal gestures, like eye contact, nodding, and smiling, while speaking to convey your message.

Observe their body language to see what they may be trying to tell you, even if they can’t find the words. Support your loved one by allowing them to express themselves how they feel comfortable, whether that’s through movement, pictures, or sentences.

The 5 Stages of Parkinson’s Disease

Medical experts typically divide the progression of Parkinson’s Disease (and other forms of Parkinsonism) into 5 stages – with differing degrees of severity, requiring different levels of care.

Stage 1: At this early stage, symptoms are limited to tremor (involuntary shakiness) and changes in posture, facial expression and walking gait on one side of the body. For the most part, these symptoms can be treated with medication and don’t interfere with daily life.
Stage 2: The disease begins to affect both sides of the brain and body, causing stiffness and other movement problems. Living alone is still feasible, but daily tasks like preparing meals are time-consuming and more difficult to perform.
Stage 3: Hallmark symptoms of this stage include loss of balance and slowed reflexes –which greatly increase the risk of injury due to falls. Daily activities like dressing or eating become extremely difficult.
Stage 4: At this stage, mobility decreases to the point where the patient is no longer able to stand up or walk without assistance. As a result, living alone is no longer feasible and potentially dangerous.
Stage 5: The patient is confined to a bed or wheelchair due to extreme stiffness in the legs. Hallucinations, delusions, and dementia are common, and round-the-clock care becomes necessary.

Our team at Priority Home Health is pre-screened for potential infections or exposures before being hired or assigned to patient’s care. We have also established an ongoing monitoring policy to provide safe and reliable care during these times.

We utilize continuing education to ensure Priority Home Health providers are trained on the best practices for maintaining proper hygiene, social distancing, and infection spread mitigation. Our care team is kept up-to-date on all the safety and health protocols during this changing situation.

Priority Home Health providers are all equipped with company provided masks and gloves to be worn during each service visit. We strictly adhere to this for safety reasons. To further enhance the safety of our patients, we have limited the number of patients each Priority is responsible to provide service visits.

Ageism and a lost sense of purpose

There are lots of outdated stereotypes about elderly people, which can lead to isolation and marginalization in a lot of communities. By coming up with innovative ways to involve older people in the community through social events, we can not only help them to maintain a sense of identity and self-esteem but also tap into the wealth of knowledge and experience they have, which is so vital for the development of society.

Financial insecurity

While we are living longer, unfortunately, the world of employment and retirement has not evolved at the same pace. Many elderly people are able and more than willing to work past the standard retirement age, but the opportunities are not there. In addition, managing day to day finances and planning for later life can be challenging for older generations as much is now done online or remotely. This can also leave them more vulnerable to fraud and scams.

Difficulty with everyday tasks and mobility

A person’s mobility and dexterity will naturally decline as they age, which makes completing everyday tasks more difficult. This can gradually cause people to care for themselves and prevents them from being social, pursuing interests, or taking part in activities they enjoy. More support is needed to enable elderly people not only to live independently through products and programs which focus on safety, balance, fitness, and mobility but also to ensure they can continue to thrive as an individual.

Finding the right care provision

When complete independence is no longer practical, many elderly people require additional care. Sometimes this care can be provided by family members, but this can place a lot of strain on the caregiver in terms of balancing this with work and other family responsibilities. These caregivers need to be given the training, resources, and emotional support necessary to help them deliver the best care for their loved ones and themselves.

In some cases, it is more appropriate for a professional caregiver to be employed on a regular basis, e.g., when there are complex medical conditions and/or physical disabilities. With a comprehensive elder care service, the elderly person is able to remain in their own home.

Access to healthcare services

Healthcare can be complicated and disjointed for elderly people, especially for those struggling with long term conditions. The care requires lots of different medical professionals and clinics to coordinate delivery of medication and other types of care.

End of life preparations

We all need to prepare for the inevitable, but death is often a difficult topic for people to discuss or make plans for. Elderly individuals and their families need support when considering the end of life options available, financial implications, and how to ensure that the individual’s wishes are respected.