Communicating can be more difficult when your senior is diagnosed with dementia, but how you and their home care services aides handle your side of the conversation can affect how it goes.
Pay Attention to Your Own Body Language
Your senior may not be able to express some things any longer, but she can still pick up on how you’re feeling. One way that your feelings get expressed is via body language. When you’re tense, frustrated, and upset, that comes through to her, even if she doesn’t understand why. She’ll respond to that, so it can help to make sure your body language is calm and positive when you’re talking with her.
Your Tone of Voice Is Important, Too
How you say something can often be more important and can communicate more clearly to your senior now than what you say. Just as you do with your body language, you need to moderate your tone of voice, too. When you speak calmly and positively, your senior will pick up on that. If you’re angry and upset, she’ll pick up on that, too.
Be Mindful When You’re Talking with Your Senior
When you’re talking with your senior, try to give her your full attention. There are cues from her that you might miss if you’re multitasking. She may also interpret partial attention as disinterest in being around her and that can cause her to shut down. That’s not what you want to have happen.
Avoid Interrupting Your Senior Whenever Possible
If your senior is talking to you, do what you can to avoid interrupting her. People with dementia can easily get derailed from their train of thought and that can be frustrating for your senior. She may also become frustrated and opt not to talk as much, which can cause her to lose verbal abilities much sooner than she otherwise would have.
Take Time for You with Home Care Services Providers Help
None of this is easy, either for your or for your senior. If you’re not already, you need to look into taking respite time whenever you are able to do so. Home care services providers have experience in assisting people with dementia and you can take time away without worrying about your senior. The rest can help you to come back better able to be patient with your senior.
When you take the time to make communication safe and comfortable for your senior, she is more likely to keep communicating for as long as possible.
If you or a loved one are considering Home Care Services in Oakland PA, please call and talk to the caring staff at Extended Family Care of Pittsburgh at (412) 693-6009. We will answer all of your questions.
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