5/26/22, 9:11 PM Topic 1

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Communicating with clients with Dementia

 

Dementia is not part of normal ageing. Even though not all older adults have dementia, it is the most common age category in which
dementia is found. Dementia refers to the gradual loss of brain functions, including cognitive and social functions. When working with a
client with dementia, they may be scared, confused and can become combative. When communicating with a client who has dementia,
using the following techniques can help put the client at ease and help build and maintain a trusting relationship.

They may have:

Difficulty with communication

Depression, delusions and hallucinations

Not be able to understand what is going on around them

Not be able to understand or follow directions

When working with a client with dementia, they may be scared, confused, agitated, and can become combative. When communicating
with a client who has dementia, using the following techniques can help put the client at ease and help build and maintain a trusting
relationship.

Click the images below to reveal each technique:

IMAGE TECHNIQUES

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IMAGE TECHNIQUES

Smile and approach the client from the front, use a calm, quiet voice.

Use client's name - when you speak to your client, refer to them by
name each and every time.

Use your name and write it down or wear and point to your name tag

Always explain what you are going to do and why you are going to do it
before starting

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IMAGE TECHNIQUES

Ask clear and simple questions - using close-ended questions may be

the best way to get information from your client. Make sure to give client
time to respond (remember the A "Allow for Silence" from LUNAR)

Learn about them!. Your client’s past experiences are important and their
behaviour may be a direct result of them living in the past.

Case Study
Nancy is 83 years old. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease five years ago. She moved to a long-term care home six months ago.
Staff have noticed that every day around 4:00 p.m., Nancy gets very anxious and paces the same hallway back-and-forth. This behaviour
usually lasts 30-40 minutes. When trying to understand Nancy’s behaviour, the staff asked Nancy’s children about her routine, hobbies
and career. The staff found out that Nancy was a stay-at-home mom. As part of her daily routine, Nancy used to pick up her kids from
school every day at 4:00 p.m. When the staff learned this, they realized that Nancy was probably anxious and pacing the hallways at 4:00

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p.m. every day because she believed that she needed to pick up her children from school. To help reduce this behaviour, the staff decided
to change Nancy’s daily routine. At 4:00 p.m. a volunteer was in charge of meaningfully engaging Nancy to go for a walk or attend an
activity taking place in the home. Once this strategy was applied, Nancy’s anxiety and pacing back-and-forth diminished.

Reference
Retrieved from Alzherimer’s society. Conversations about Dementia and Responsive Behaviours at
https://alzheimer.ca/sites/default/files/documents/conversations_dementia-and-responsive-behaviours.pdf
(https://alzheimer.ca/sites/default/files/documents/conversations_dementia-and-responsive-behaviours.pdf)

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