Talking with Someone Who Has Dementia
Communicating with someone who has dementia can be especially challenging because relating to them becomes increasingly hard as their memory declines.
Drawing upon our years of experience, we have seen what is most successful for families. This, along with our Certified Dementia Practitioner certifications, sets the stage for this episode about communication approaches.
Three key takeaways from this episode:
- What is truth? Truth is a matter of perspective, especially for people with dementia.
- People who have dementia process information very differently than we can relate to. We cannot control their thoughts or behaviors, but we can control ours in order to best support them.
- Validation and redirection are crucial approaches to successful communication with those who have dementia.
What is a Certified Dementia Practitioner?
The mission of the NCCDP® (https://www.nccdp.org/) is to promote, encourage and enhance the knowledge, skills and practice of all persons who provide care and / or services to Dementia clients by means of requiring excellent standards of education, Dementia specific training and incentives for professional development of those who are dedicated to the ever growing field of Dementia Care.
We want to address your questions. Let us know what you’d like addressed in upcoming podcasts.