Ways To Communicate With Seniors Suffering From Dementia

According to Wikipedia, Dementia is a mental disorder caused by an injury or brain disease that affects a person’s ability to think, remember or recall or behave in a usual manner.

Common Symptoms of Dementia:
              • Progressive impairment in memory, thinking, and behavior
              • Confusion in the evening hours
              • Inability to understand or speak
              • Restlessness 

Initially, your loved ones may forget what they just said or intended to say, they may have trouble choosing the right word to describe a thing or an event, In later or advanced stages of Dementia, your beloved seniors may speak very less and may be unable to recognize you or other family members.

Your beloved senior suffering from Dementia will need special attention and care to feel comfortable and better. Elder Care Services in Kolkata provide Dementia Care Services that you can avail of for your senior loved ones. There are specially certified professional caregivers who with utmost care and attention will help your senior loved ones with Dementia to lead a healthy and comfortable life.

Today, let us highlight how you can communicate with your senior loved ones suffering from Dementia to help them lead a better life.

⇒   As said earlier, your senior loved one suffering from Dementia sometimes may not be able to recognize you on the first go. Introduce yourself and others by sharing some basic information and explaining how you are related to him or them. Keep a family photo album handy to help bring back the memories of your senior loved one with Dementia. This will make him/her feel comfortable and secure also after they know whom they are talking with.

⇒   Dementia patients needed to be treated with care and patience to make them feel loved and comfortable and see that they can understand what you are trying to convey to them or vice versa. Focusing on body language than words is required because your senior loved one may find it difficult to understand various words. Professional caregivers are trained to understand the body language and facial expressions of dementia patients which helps them to carry out an effective conversations with Dementia patients. You also need to remember that your senior loved one with Dementia still can feel or sense emotions if the tone of the speaker doesn’t match the words, so by stressing more on the body language you will be able to increase your beloved senior’s ability to understand you better. 

⇒   Avoid lengthy sentences and ornamental vocabulary with your senior loved one with Dementia. He/she may find it confusing and frustrating because he/she is already struggling with communication due to Dementia. Use simple words and short sentences while speaking with your beloved senior. Don’t forget to pause between sentences to give your senior loved one some time to understand what you are saying. Avoid distractions while holding a conversation with your beloved senior with Dementia. For example, you can turn off the TV, or set your mobile on silent mode while conversing with your senior loved one with Dementia to help them feel comfortable and stay focused on the conversation.

⇒   Last but not least make sure you spend some time with your senior loved one with Dementia every day. Try to speak with them, Keep them updated about recent happenings and practice active listening, Nodding and responding to them in validation will make them feel more comfortable and eager to carry out the conversation as they will feel that you are listening to them, and want to hear more. 

These are the ways you can follow to help your senior loved one suffering from Dementia lead a better and more comfortable life.