Communicating with Clients with Dementia- Tip #2

Communicating with a loved one or client with Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias is key to helping a person function at the optimal level and to reducing frustrations. How we communicate often affects how the client responds to the task we are helping them with. 

Give instructions slowly with verbal and tactile cues. Help the person with Dementia with activities of daily living by giving instructions one step at a time and by using gestures or cues to illustrate each step. For example, if you are helping someone put on a shirt, first explain the goal of the activity. “Joe, I am going to help you put on your shirt. First put your right arm in the right sleeve.” Tap his right shoulder then tap the left shoulder and say, ”Joe, put your left arm in the left sleeve.” Once the left arm is in the sleeve say, ”Now, let’s button your shirt up.” Breaking tasks down can make instructions much easier to follow and can decrease frustration.