Communicating in the Alzheimer’s World

It takes a lot of energy, learning, and patience to deal with Alzheimer’s disease.

In order to begin the process of dealing with communication in a world filled with Alzheimer’s you first need to make a simple important decision — you want to decrease both your stress as caregiver, and the stress of the person suffering from Alzheimer’s. Ask yourself, what are you doing and how are you reacting when someone suffering from Alzheimer’s says something you know to be incorrect or untrue?

What are you feeling when this happens?
Are you constantly correcting them?

If you are constantly correcting a person suffering from Alzheimer’s are you also experiencing enormous feeling of frustration and stress?

Welcome to Alzheimer’s World.

Don’t be afraid or reluctant to step into this new and very different world.
Reality in Alzheimer’s World is a reflection of what the person suffering from Alzheimer’s thinks and believes. It is this reality that you must focus on, not the way YOU think things are, or should be.

I feel confident when I say this — you won’t be able to convince a person suffering from Alzheimer’s that they are wrong, and you won’t be able to convince them that your reality is the true reality. They can’t remember like you or me, so they really cannot comprehend your point of view.

When you do this you are asking the person suffering from Alzheimer’s to come back into your world. They cannot do this.

The goal in all communications with a person suffering from Alzheimer’s disease should be to connect with the patient in a positive, constructive, effective way. 

What you want to be doing here is trying to establish a positive pattern of communication.

This requires you to develop calm, effective responses that are easily accepted by the person suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

As a caregiver, when you try to correct a person with Alzheimer’s you are likely to bring out a negative emotion in them. How would you like to be told over and over — you are wrong?

How would you act?

If you are caring for someone with Alzheimer’s you will need to go into their world –Alzheimer’s World.

The first steps are to start listening to what they say. To accept what they are saying as a”reality”. They believe it to be true, why can’t you?

Understanding that Alzheimer’s World’s reality is different — is a big and important step. A necessary step to communicating effectively with someone that suffers from Alzheimer’s.

While you are at it try and remember this. They have Alzheimer’s. You are the caregiver. It really is up to you to change. It is up to you to adjust.

By Bob DeMarco 
Alzheimer’s Reading Room

The Alzheimer’s Reading Room is the number one source of life news for the entire Alzheimer’s community. Our goal is to Educate, sometimes Entertain, and Empower Alzheimer’s caregivers and their families worldwide.

For more information visit

http://www.alzheimersreadingroom.com

• 5.4 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease.
• One in eight older Americans has Alzheimer’s disease.
• Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States and the only cause of death among the top 10 in the United States that cannot be prevented, cured or even slowed.
• More than 15 million Americans provide unpaid care valued at $210 billion for persons with Alzheimer’s and other dementias.
• Payments for care are estimated to be $200 billion in the United States in 2012.