Dementia affects a patient’s cognitive abilities, making them struggle with things like memory, language, and communication.
These symptoms of dementia can be difficult for a caregiver, so communication is crucial in dementia care. When communicating with a dementia patient, it’s important to approach scenarios with patience and understanding. Dementia care requires a great deal of empathy and social energy, and things can often be confusing for someone with dementia. The importance of communication and how to approach situations will be covered below.
Establish Trust in Dementia Care
When it comes to dementia care, the caregiver must understand that trust and understanding may take a while for the person they are caring for. Rapport building and actively listening are crucial aspects of communicating with someone who has dementia.
It is important to consider the individual’s feelings and the confusion that they may be feeling. When you take the time to listen to the person, you are more likely to give them the feeling of security and familiarity, which creates a sense of comfort.
Dementia care can be difficult and unpredictable, but it’s important to remain understanding and start the steps towards building that trust.
Quality of Life
When people suffer from dementia, they experience life purely in the present, struggling to understand the concept of the past and future. Socialising with you can allow their present to feel enjoyable, and reduce the feeling of loneliness that can be common in dementia.
Activities are another great way to improve the quality of life for someone with dementia. Stimulation of the brain will help people enjoy their lives more and can lead to a healthier state of mind with less suffering.
Although recalling these memories may be difficult for people with dementia, making their present life as enjoyable as possible is necessary when it comes to correcting dementia care.
Self Confidence
Confusion breeds self-doubt, and this can be a huge struggle for someone with dementia. When engaging in dementia care, a key part of communication is giving them a sense of empowerment. Treat people with dementia with the same respect you would treat anyone else because, just like everyone else, they want to be respected and understood.
With dementia care, remember to engage in positive reinforcements to allow the person to feel understood and cared for. They could be struggling to express themselves so remember to stay patient and respectful.
Be Clear and Concise
When it comes to people with dementia, they may struggle to understand what you are trying to communicate. This could be due to their dementia, or simply a factor of old age. Either way, speaking clearly, slowly, and with emphasis can be effective ways to communicate when it comes to dementia care.
This is important in everyday situations and conversations for the person’s mental health, but it is crucial to take this into consideration when discussing things that directly impact the person and their health, such as medication and health and safety procedures.
Making sure that the person you are caring for can understand you is also a way to establish that trust between you and them.
Conclusion
Overall, the key things to take away from this article are to approach communication in dementia care in a way that shows respect, understanding, patience, and kindness. Your sentences should be clear for them to understand to avoid confusion as much as possible, and remember to be empathetic in these situations. As a caregiver, your responsibility is to improve people’s quality of life when suffering from dementia and make the process as easy as possible for them.
Complete Homecare 24
We offer a wide range of services at Complete Homecare 24, including 24-hour care. Through our in-home care, we want to make sure that our patients feel heard, seen and cared for. Every patient has a unique care plan in place so that the person providing care can comprehend their specific requirements. To keep up to date, check out our Facebook and Instagram.
