As dementia develops, communication between the person with dementia and their caregiver becomes more and more difficult. However, remember that maintaining a good communication is intended to facilitate daily activities, to keep you connected to the person you care for, and to alleviate the loneliness of people with dementia.

Below you will find some ideas / techniques to maintain an effective communication:

- Make sure you have the person's attention before you start speaking

- Use the person’s name to get their attention

- Remove noises / stimuli that may be distracting

- Talk to them face to face

- Speak calmly, slowly and clearly

- Use short and simple words

- Avoid long sentences / Give only one message at a time

- Offer enough time for them to reply

- If the individual is trying to find a word to express their thoughts, assist them on completing their sentence

- Do not interrupt

- Allow them some time to express any concerns, even they cannot express themselves properly in words and attempt to listen with compassion

The person you care for may just need some reassurance from you.

Do not focus on their mistakes, do not correct, do not disagree.

When verbal communication does not seem to help, try a gentle touch.

Treatment for behavioral disorders in people with dementia

Behavioral disorders occur in all forms of dementia. As people with dementia are confined to their home, there is a possibility of worsening these symptoms.

Below are the main behavioral disorders of people with dementia and some guidelines for the best home treatment.

Wandering/Escape

Often, people with dementia take unnecessary walks in the house or try to leave the place they are being taken care of. Many times at night they might get up to simply walk without a specific reason or direction; or they might constantly follow their carer and monitor their movements.

Try to distract them and engage them in an activity that they might like and be interested in. Do not try to stop them by force, as this might cause aggression.

Aggressiveness

In some cases, individuals with dementia might get angry and can become aggressive or violent. This may be due to the inability to express negative emotions, the inability to understand the intentions of others, the inability to respond to situations that makes it difficult for them, such as physical pain.

Try to distract them with some relaxing activity, for example music, dancing, singing or a simple game.

Try to discover what upsets them so you may avoid it in the future.

Refusal

People with dementia often show a strong and persistent refusal to do something they are asked to do. This is mainly because they do not understand exactly what they are being asked to do and why they should do it.

Talk to them in a calm voice and explain them in simple words, step by step what you wish from them. Do not insist. Try again in a while.

Delusion and illusions

In many cases the person with dementia exhibits delirium and hallucinations. Delusion is a false belief against reason. For the person with dementia the delirium belief is real and may cause fear and anxiety. Illusions can be visual or auditory.

Do not try to convince them that there is nothing that their delusions or illusions are not real. You will only succeed in irritating them.

Reassure the person, approach them in a calm voice and hold their hand if they exhibit fear. Show them understanding and affection. For them this is their reality.

Try to maintain their attention by engaging in some calm activity.

Sleep Disorders

A large percentage of people with dementia have sleep disorders (insomnia or drowsiness).

Try to help them build a bedtime routine, prevent them from sleeping during the day and leave some light on during the night.

* If things get tough despite your best efforts, contact your doctor*