Lets Talk About Communication & Dementia

Alzheimers disease is becoming more and more prevalent in Canada. In fact, according to the Alzheimers Association of Canada, more than 747,000 Canadians have been diagnosed with the disease.

Our  in-home care providers at Qualicare ” Newmarket want you to know that while memory loss is the most common symptom associated with Alzheimers disease and dementia, its not the only symptom. We want to talk about communication lapses.

Improve Communication

Is your loved one having difficulty communicating with you and other friends and family members? When a loved one has dementia, even in its earliest stages, you might notice that he or she is having difficulty using words effectively.

Fortunately, there are ways you can help him or her communicate so that you both can understand each other better without the frustration.

The first thing you want to do is ensure you are always making eye contact with your loved one and keeping the sound of your voice and overall demeanor even and pleasant.

Be aware of how you are presenting yourself to your loved one during the conversation. Are you closed off, or are you being open with your body language? You want to make your loved one feel at ease.

You also want your loved one to participate in the conversation as much as possible. Ask open-ended questions that your loved one wont just answer with yes or no.

If your loved one does start to get frustrated during the conversation, try something else other than having a conversation. Hold his or her hand or try using other methods of communicating rather than speech.

Remember, your loved one wants to communicate with you. This is all new to him or her, too. But by working together, you all can still communicate effectively and efficiently.

Is your loved one struggling to communicate? Is he or she having complications due to dementia? Visit the Qualicare Newmarket website today to learn how we can help.