5 Tips for Communicating with Someone with Memory Loss

Dementia is more prevalent with age with 3% of adults aged 70-74, 22% of adults aged 85-89, and 33% of adults aged 90 and older had dementia in 2019.¹ Even though prevalence of dementia increases with age, dementia is NOT a normal part of aging. Some age-related memory changes are a normal part of aging such as misplacing objects, difficulty with word finding, or forgetting someone’s name.² Signs and symptoms of dementia include difficulties with memory, attention, communication, reasoning, judgement, or problem solving.² The cognitive changes associated with dementia may cause someone to get lost a in familiar area, forgetting old memories, and unable to complete daily activities independently.² Dementia is an umbrella term for many types of dementia. The most common type of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease which include 60-80% of people diagnosed with dementia.² Other types of dementia include vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, and frontotemporal dementia.² Caregiving and communicating with someone who has been diagnosed with dementia can be difficult due to the cognitive and behavioral changes that can come with each type of dementia. Here are 5 tips to improve your communication with a loved one who has dementia:

1. Focus on Nonverbal Communication: Whether you are on Facetime or in-person make sure to maintain eye contact throughout the conversation. Moreover, position yourself so you are at eye level with the other person. If someone is not understanding what you what them to do, try to demonstrate the action or task. If someone does not understand what you are referring to, try to point to an object or use a gesture.  
2. Decrease Environmental Distractions: Noisy and busy environments can hinder communication. Try to find a quiet space to improve understanding of the conversation.
3. Use Simple Words, Phrases, and Sentences: Try to speak clearly and slowly to the other person. Reduce lengthy instructions by providing simple step by step tasks. Finally, ask one question at a time and ask yes and no questions (vs. open ended questions).
4. Avoiding Correcting and Arguing: Instead of correcting someone with dementia, try listening and determining the meaning of what they are saying. Reiterate what the person said to clarify your understanding. Most importantly if you do not agree with something, avoid arguing and leave the disagreement alone.  
5. Give the Person Time to Respond: After you say something, give the person time to process the information and provide an answer. Try not to interrupt when they are expressing what they are thinking or feeling.

Being a caregiver or having a loved one with memory loss or dementia can be challenging. Live Your Life offers many wellness services that comes to you! Occupational therapy and speech therapy can be incredibly helpful for those with communication impairments, cognitive changes, or memory loss. Contact us today for a free consultation!  

References

¹Fact Sheet: U.S. Dementia Trends. PRB. https://www.prb.org/resources/fact-sheet-u-s-dementia-trends/#:~:text=About%203%25%20of%20adults%20ages

²CDC. What Is dementia? Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Published April 5, 2019. https://www.cdc.gov/aging/dementia/index.html