When memory loss becomes severe enough to affect your daily life, it is called dementia. Dementia has many causes, including Alzheimer's disease (No. 1) and stroke (No. 2). Regardless of the cause, dementia can make the once-simple process of communicating very difficult for the patient and the family. Here are some tips to ease the task.
Signs
Some communication indicators of dementia are: 1) not responding when spoken to, 2) fluent but nonsensical speech, and 3) difficulty with words. With dementia, communication skills worsen over time.
Considerations
Keep in mind that these communication indicators associated with dementia are also common in patients suffering from vision or hearing impairments. Rule out these issues before accepting the more serious problem of dementia.
Communication Elements
A person with dementia might have trouble understanding your words although the person will still be able to comprehend elements of communication like tone of voice and body language. If you show frustration through your voice or body language, you are more likely to upset the person with dementia. In turn, the person's communication skills will worsen.
Guidelines
Using short sentences, giving the person with dementia ample time to reply to a comment, and speaking with a caring tone of voice are all ways to effectively communicate with someone who has dementia. In addition, turn off the television and any music to prevent potential distractions.
Children
People with dementia should have limited conversations with children--at least with those who have high energy levels. The more a child moves around the less likely the person will understand what the child is saying, and the more exhausting the process will become for the dementia patient.
Tags: person with, person with dementia, with dementia, body language, communication indicators, communication skills, person will