How do dementia sufferers process information

This can happen even in persons who are otherwise non-verbal. Care partners can learn new ways to interact with their loved ones who have dementia by engaging in activities that rely on the right side of the temporal lobe. Hope Hospice offers complimentary Living With Dementia classes that provide education and support to family caregivers, regardless of whether the loved one is on our service.

Infection Control in the Home. If someone in your household is […]. How can we help our loved ones with dementia understand about infection prevention? Are you looking after someone with dementia? Living well with dementia Staying independent Dementia activities Dementia and the home environment Looking after someone with dementia Dementia and your relationships Communicating with someone with dementia Coping with behaviour changes Dementia and end of life planning.

Do you know the signs of dementia? Sign up for dementia emails Join a dementia research project. Sources of help and support Organising care at home Care homes What to expect from the NHS and social services Money matters Managing legal affairs Sign up for dementia emails.

Have you just been diagnosed with dementia? Spot the signs of dementia. Encouraging someone with dementia to communicate Try to start conversations with the person you're looking after, especially if you notice that they're starting fewer conversations themselves. It can help to: speak clearly and slowly, using short sentences make eye contact with the person when they're talking or asking questions give them time to respond, because they may feel pressured if you try to speed up their answers encourage them to join in conversations with others, where possible let them speak for themselves during discussions about their welfare or health issues try not to patronise them, or ridicule what they say acknowledge what they have said, even if they do not answer your question, or what they say seems out of context — show that you've heard them and encourage them to say more about their answer give them simple choices — avoid creating complicated choices or options for them use other ways to communicate — such as rephrasing questions because they cannot answer in the way they used to The Alzheimer's Society has lots of information that can help, including details on the progression of dementia and communicating.

Communicating through body language and physical contact Communication is not just talking. On this page. Communication changes in dementia Suggestions for communicating with a person with dementia What NOT to do when communicating with a person with dementia Therapies and communication strategies for people with dementia Where to get help Things to remember. Losing the ability to communicate can be one of the most frustrating and difficult problems for people with dementia, their families and carers.

As the illness progresses, the person with dementia gradually loses their ability to communicate. They find it more and more difficult to express themselves clearly and to understand what others say. It is important to check that communication problems are not due to impaired vision or hearing. Glasses or a hearing aid may help some people.

Check that hearing aids are functioning correctly and glasses are cleaned regularly. Communication changes in dementia Each person with dementia is unique, and the difficulties experienced in communicating thoughts and feelings are different.

There are many causes of dementia, each affecting the brain in different ways. Some changes you might notice in the person with dementia include: difficulty in finding a word — a related word might be given instead of one they cannot remember the use of speech that does not make sense an inability to understand what you are saying or the ability to only grasp a part of what you are saying writing and reading skills that have deteriorated loss of the normal social conventions of conversation — an increasing tendency to interrupt, ignore a speaker or fail to respond when spoken to difficulty in expressing emotions appropriately.

Suggestions for communicating with a person with dementia Carers need to pay attention to how they present themselves to the person with dementia. The three factors that make up the messages we communicate are: body language the message we give out with our facial expressions, posture and gestures , which accounts for 55 per cent of communication the tone and pitch of our voice, which accounts for 38 per cent of communication the words we use, which account for seven per cent of communication.

These statistics highlight the importance of how families and carers present themselves to a person with dementia. Negative body language, such as sighs and raised eyebrows, can be easily picked up. There are a number of strategies or approaches you can use to communicate positively with a person with dementia, to make yourself understood and to show you care for them. Caring attitude People retain their feelings and emotions even though they may not understand what is being said, so it is important to always maintain their dignity and self-esteem.

Be flexible and always allow plenty of time for a response. Body language You may need to use some hand gestures and facial expressions to make yourself understood. Around-the-clock care is usually required in this stage. Join ALZConnected. Find Your Chapter. Read the Blog. Changes in communication Communication in the early stage Communication in the middle stage Communication in the late stage Changes in communication Changes in the ability to communicate can vary, and are based on the person and where he or she is in the disease process.

The disease affects each person differently.