TEN WAYS TO
EFFECTIVELY COMMUNICATE WITH ALZHEIMER’S RESIDENTS
Compliments of Health
Care Group ActivCare® Residential Alzheimer’s Care
- Speak to the
individual in a clear, warm and pleasant manner.
- The tone of your voice may have more impact than
your message when communicating with someone with Alzheimer’s
Disease. Lower the pitch. A lowered pitch is more comforting and
less threatening.
- Speak slowly and
avoid long complex sentences.
- Deliver only one instruction at a time. Wait until the first instruction is
processed before delivering the next.
A single task may need to be broken down into several steps.
- Do not talk about the person in the presence of
others as if they were not there.
A person with Alzheimer’s Disease many times understands and can be
humiliated or embarrassed.
- Lower your body to their level and look directly
at the person when communicating.
You may be able to read their eyes for signs of frustration,
distress or anger.
- Make use of comforting gestures such as touching
a hand or back, pointing to an object or handing an object to the
Resident.
- Show the Alzheimer’s Resident a pleasant smile
and show affection where appropriate.
- Respond to the feeling content of the message
from the Alzheimer’s Resident.
Recognizing the Resident’s feelings and offering reassurance, even
if you can’t fix the problem, it provides comfort.
- Always treat the person with dignity and
respect. Do not call older adults
“honey,” “pops,” “sweetie,” etc.
Ask them what they prefer to be called and follow their preference.