Communication Tips For Those Dealing With Family Members With Alzheimer’s Disease
Thursday, July 10th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
Trying to communicate with a person who has AD can be a challenge. Both understanding and being understood may be difficult. There are, however several strategies you can use to improve communication with your loved one with Alzheimer’s disease.
Try to reduce background noise, such as from the TV or radio, when speaking. In addition to making it harder to hear, the TV or radio can compete with you for the listener’s attention.
Gain the listener’s attention before you begin talking. Approach the person from the front, identify yourself, and call him or her by name. Call the person by name, making sure you have his or her attention before speaking. Identify people and things by name, avoiding pronouns.
Choose simple words and short sentences and use a gentle, calm tone of voice when communicating with a person with Alzheimer’s disease.
Avoid talking to the person with Alzheimer’s disease like a baby or talking about the person as if he or she weren’t there.
Speak naturally. Speak at a normal rate, not too fast or too slow. Speak distinctly, but don’t shout.
Use pauses to give the person time to process what you’re saying. Use short, simple, and familiar words.
Minimize distractions and noise-such as the television or radio-to help the person focus on what you are saying.
Use a gentle and relaxed tone of voice, as well as friendly facial expressions.
Frame questions and instructions in a positive way.
Give simple, brief one-step directions.
Ask only one question at a time.
If the listener has difficulty understanding what you’re saying, find a different way of saying it. If he or she didn’t understand the words the first time, it is unlikely he or she will understand them a second time.
Allow enough time for a response. Be careful not to interrupt.
Be attentive when they are communicating to you. Show that you are listening and trying to understand what is being said.
Maintain eye contact with the person. Visual communication is very important. Facial expressions and body language add vital information to the communication. You are also able to provide as well as gain more insight as to their understanding of what you are saying. For example, you are able to “see” a person’s anger, frustration, excitement or lack of comprehension by watching the expression on his or her face.
Encourage the person to continue to express his or her thoughts, even if he or she is having difficulty. Be careful not to interrupt. Avoid criticizing, correcting and arguing.
If the person with Alzheimer’s disease is struggling to find a word or communicate a thought to you, gently try to provide the word he or she is looking for.
If the person with Alzheimer’s disease continues to repeat themselves, do not remind them that they asked you the same question several times. This is part of the disease. Reminded them only will make things worse.
Jeff Behar, MS, MBA regularly writes about hot topics in the areas of health, fitness, disease prevention, nutrition, bodybuilding, men’s health, women’s health, weight management, weight loss, vitamins and supplements and alternative medicine. His work also often appears in several of the major health and fitness newsletters, blogs, RSS Feeds, as well as print magazines, and many other online health, nutrition,and fitness websites.
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