Communicating with a senior who has Alzheimer’s means learning new techniques. These tips will help you learn more, and be better able to communicate.
When a friend or family member has Alzheimer’s disease, finding ways to communicate with them can become challenging. As the disease progresses, verbal skills often become impaired. For some seniors, it makes finding the right words difficult. For others, it means they completely lose the ability to speak.
Verbal skills aren’t the only struggle. Vision changes, including a loss of peripheral vision, need to be taken into consideration. The ability to read and write is also impacted.
While not being able to carry on a conversation can be discouraging, finding ways to communicate with a senior who has Alzheimer’s is important to their self-esteem and overall well-being.
5 Tips for Communicating with a Senior Who Has Alzheimer’s
Here are a few tips you can try:
1. Be empathetic:
Our first tip is to try to see this situation from your loved one’s point of view. Think about how difficult it must be to know something is wrong, to not recognize once-familiar faces and places, and to be unable to express your fears and frustrations. Alerting people to the fact that you are in pain, urgently need a bathroom, or are hungry or thirsty is more than difficult. Maintaining a quiet, soothing tone of voice will show the senior that you empathize with them. It can help them feel comfortable as they try to express their needs and feelings.
2. Be mindful of body language:
Along the same lines as showing empathy is being mindful of the nonverbal cues you are giving. A kind smile and good eye contact while you are talking can put your loved one at ease and let them know you are listening and interested. By contrast, talking too fast or too loud can feel like anger to someone with Alzheimer’s disease. That can cause them to feel agitated and aggressive.
3. Meet the senior where they are:
One of the biggest challenges for friends and family in communicating with a senior who has Alzheimer’s means learning new techniques. These tips will help you learn more, and be better able to communicate. is meeting the senior where they are on their journey. The need to correct someone with Alzheimer’s and “set them straight” isn’t helpful. It makes the senior’s life more confusing. Remind yourself that the disease has impaired the senior’s memory and reasoning skills, so they are unable to remember no matter how much they try. Repeatedly trying to force them to remember forgotten events, such as a loved one’s death, only causes them to be sad over and over again. Instead, join their reality and go with it.
4. Consider your approach:
Another important tip is to think about how you approach an adult with Alzheimer’s. Because peripheral vision is sometimes impaired as the disease advances, they may be unable to see you coming from the side. You might startle the senior, which could lead them to strike out in fear. Also keep in mind, as difficult as it is to think about, there may come a day when a loved one with Alzheimer’s no longer recognizes friends and family. Approaching them from the front while making eye contact and saying their name may put them at ease even if they don’t quite know who you are.
5. Provide visual cues:
One practice used in memory care communities is to provide visual cues. For example, label the bathroom door with a sign that shows a picture of a toilet. Have a picture of the toothbrush and toothpaste on the drawer or cabinet where you store those items. You might also want to create cue cards with pictures of frequently used phrases or words your loved one might not be able to say any longer, such as water, cookie, bed, and toilet. Show them to the senior when they are struggling to express their needs.
Arrow Senior Care Can Help with Your Search for Memory Care
If you are having difficulty caring for a parent, spouse, or other loved one at home, you might find a memory care community to be an ideal solution. It offers adults with Alzheimer’s a safe environment while also providing opportunities to participate in thoughtfully designed activities and programs each day.
Seniors living in Southern California can use our service to find a local memory care community at no cost. We can help you explore the options that meet your needs and budget. SEE HOW IT WORKS, or you can SCHEDULE A FREE PHONE CONSULTATION to get started in your search.
Further Reading
The Alzheimer’s Association has a free guide you can download. Alzheimer’s Communication Guide outlines tips and techniques you can use to communicate with a friend or family member who has Alzheimer’s.
