Tips for Communicating with a Patient Who has Alzheimer’s Disease

As our population continues to grey, the number of patients with Alzheimer’s who visit physician offices, emergency departments and outpatient clinics is climbing.

If you haven’t worked with dementia clients or patients with Alzheimer’s disease before, it can be a challenge to find ways to communicate with them. Because Alzheimer’s robs people of their verbal skills, finding ways to work around their impairments is key to providing them with quality care.

We’ve pulled together a list of the ten best tips from a wide range of aging experts to share with you this week.

 

10 Tips for Communicating with a Patient with Alzheimer’s

1. Understand that their verbal abilities may be limited or gone entirely. They may be in pain or need help and be unable to convey that. A trip to a medical office or hospital is no doubt a frightening and frustrating experience for them.
2. Making eye contact is important. Not only because it can help you see if they are grimacing in pain, but also because it can ensure they see you coming. Alzheimer’s disease can cause a loss of peripheral vision so if you approach a patient from behind or beside them you may startle them. It can lead to them unintentionally striking out at you.
3. Be patient. If the older person is still able to express themselves verbally it might take a little longer to find the right words. Don’t interrupt them or try to finish their sentences.
4. Avoid trying to change their mind or “set them straight,” especially with little things that don’t really matter. Alzheimer’s steals short-term memory and reasoning skills so they won’t be able to understand if you try to rationalize with them.
5. Limit the distractions in the room when you are trying to have a conversation with them. If you are talking in their hospital room, for example, turn off the television and sit in a chair next to their bed. That will allow them to focus on your words more easily.
6. Use a quiet, calming voice and a kind facial expression. Non-verbal cues matter a lot to someone with Alzheimer’s disease. Avoid being too loud or talking too fast.
7. Keep sentences short and ask questions that can be answered yes or no. You want to make it easy for them to answer without having to rely on memory skills that are likely impaired.
8. Avoid confusing directions and statements. For example, if you are transporting a patient to get x-rays and need them to transfer to a wheelchair, don’t tell them to “jump over here.” They may take you literally and try to jump from their bed to the wheelchair.
9. Use their name when you are addressing them. It will help keep their attention and let them know you are speaking to them.
10. Finally, consider using visual cues. It could be pointing to things in the room you might think they want or keeping cue cards with photos of a glass of water, a sandwich and a bathroom on hand to use with your Alzheimer’s patients.

To learn more about communication techniques for someone with dementia, download this free Communication brochure from the experts at The Alzheimer’s Association.

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