Tailoring Communication to Meet a New Reality

Most of us take for granted the natural ability to converse. Unfortunately, dementia is a game changer, in this regard; it alters forever the ease of communication for the individual living with cognitive decline…and the caregivers who are striving to maintain a meaningful relationship.

As director of memory care programs at Charles E. Smith Life Communities, I spend significant time strategizing ways to communicate more effectively with each resident and then conveying my insights to family members who want to scale a communication wall to connect with their loved one. I have an interesting article to share on this point titled, When Communicating with Someone Who Lives with Dementia: Wait.

“Wait at least 90 seconds for someone who lives with dementia to answer or respond. Do not ask again, do not suggest, just patiently, wait,” advises author Megan Hannan as she describes her effort to elicit an opinion from an elderly woman regarding what she likes best in her “dementia specific” residence. The clock ticked away until the woman finally answered. “It’s quiet here.” After another 60 seconds, she added, “the space.”

That calm, undemanding interchange created a comfort level leading to the woman’s preference that Hannan herself be the one to escort the resident to the dining room.

Bottom line: To adjust to communication limitations imposed by dementia, be patient, relaxed, soft-spoken, and, above all else, sensitive.

Read the full article at http://bit.ly/16l5M4P.

Patricia Hagen is director of Memory Care Programs at Charles E. Smith Life Communities, located in Rockville, Maryland.

Spring Fever

Regardless of the time of year, it can be a challenge to come up with meaningful activities to do with a person living with dementia. Now that spring has arrived (and summer is around the corner), it’s a great time to explore the outdoors and take advantage of the warmer weather.

When choosing activities, try to identify things the person you are caring for has historically enjoyed, while focusing on his or her abilities and modifying the activity based on their stage of disease. Here are some random tips:

1. Work in the garden together. Sometimes just repotting plants is easy and fun to do.
2. Grab an ice cream cone as a cooling treat.
3. Toss a ball in the yard or park to get some outdoor exercise.
4. Play with pets or visit a zoo.
5. Take a trip to a botanical garden.
6. String Cheerios to hang outside for birds.
7. Have an afternoon tea party outside.
8. Feed the ducks. 

By the way, just because it’s spring doesn’t mean you have to go outside. Simple Indoor activities can be worthwhile too. Consider these ideas:

1. Do some spring cleaning together.
2. Dance!
3. Make homemade lemonade.
4. Look at family photographs.
5. Make a scrapbook.
6. Work on a puzzle together.

Finally, it may be helpful to have activities ready in different rooms of the home so you always have engaging ways to spend time together right at your fingertips.

If your loved one happens to live in a memory care residence, ask staff about their activity schedule so you can arrange your time to visit when something that interests you is happening.