Communication Tips
You already know that caring for someone with Alzheimer's disease requires tremendous patience and understanding.
You also know that even in ideal situations, people misunderstand each other every day. So, how are you going to communicate clearly when Alzheimer's makes conversations difficult or confusing? As the disease progresses, the person with Alzheimer's may:
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22 Ways You Can Improve Communication
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Here are 22 ideas for improved communication with Alzheimer's patients.
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Other Ways to Communicate
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Sometimes words disappear or cease to make sense. You'll have to find new ways to talk as memory and cognitive skills decline. You can communicate through shared experiences, such as art, music, nature walks, or looking at old photos together.
Watercolors, drawing, coloring with crayons, and working with clay can be satisfying ways to spend time together. Some pottery studios are certified to work with people with physical or developmental challenges. Therapeutic art is successful in rehabilitation centers and assisted living facilities. Whether you go out, or stay at the kitchen table, art can be a fun, shared activity. Or, choose music from your patient's youth, and play it. Your person may enjoy listening, or perhaps dancing about the living room to favorite songs. |
The Bottom Line
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If something you say doesn't work the first time you communicate it, whether it's eating, bathing,
or getting into the car, wait a few minutes, and try again as if for the first time. Try some of the tips above for better communication. You may be pleasantly surprised. Copyright 2003-2020 | Karen Favo Walsh | www.AlzheimerStories.com |