Therapeutic Communication with a patient who has Dementia
o Be Positive
o Keep if brief
o Familiarity
o Don’t talk down to them
o No need to shout
o No sarcasm/irony
o Limit distractions
o Speak slowly
o Smile
o Approach from the front so you don’t startle them
o Acknowledge their feelings when upset then redirect
o Use their name as a memory trigger
o If mad don’t make it worse
o If wrong, let them be wrong in the moment.
10 Rules
1. Always Agree-Never argue
2. Always Redirect- Never reason 3. Distract-Don’t shame
4. Reassure-Don’t lecture
5. Don’t say “remember”
6. Repeat
7. Encourage-Don’t say “you can’t”
8. Ask-Don’t command
9. Praise-Don’t condescend
10. Reinforce