10 Common Communication Mistakes to Avoid When Communicating With Someone With Alzheimer's Disease.

People often make common mistakes when communicating with a person with Alzheimer’s leading to frustration because of not knowing what to say or do. The disease worsens over time and presents in a mild, moderate, and severe stages. This article contains a list of 10 common mistakes people make in communicating with someone with Alzheimer’s disease and tips for how to avoid them:

Alzheimer’s disease is a brain disorder experienced by more than 5.5 million Americans and is the most common cause of dementia in older adults, according to the National Institute of Aging. People with Alzheimer’s disorder have tangled bundles and plaques in their brain that causes a loss of connections between nerve cells. The loss of connection between brain cells causes a breakdown in connections between different parts of the brain and body with symptoms varying from person to person.

Communicating with a person with Alzheimer’s disease can be difficult as they often experience problem with the following: memory, finding the right words to say, using familiar words over and over, describing things rather than naming them, speaking less often, relying on gestures more than speaking, and experience delusions, hallucinations, and paranoia.

Here are some common communication mistakes when communicating with someone with Alzheimers, and how to avoid them:

Thinking everyone with Alzheimer’s disease will communicate the same way

Realize people with Alzheimer’s disease present differently and you may be dealing with someone who is in the milder versus in more severe stage.

Talking to the caregiver versus the person with Alzheimer’s disease

Talk directly to the person with Alzheimer’s to engage with them and increase their feeling of connectedness.

Interrupting

Give the person time to response so they can think of what to say. Patience is required here.

Pulling Away

Stay connected with the person with Alzheimer’s, as they need the support and feeling of connection.

Speaking Too Fast

Make a conscious effort to slow down your rate of speech. This will allow the person with Alzheimer's to hear your words clearly and will increase their chance of understanding you.  

Asking too many questions

As one question at a time and use “yes” and “no” questions to make it easier for a person to respond and to reduce the stress of the person having to think about what to say.

Criticizing and Correcting

Listen and find the intent of your conversational partner. Repeat what you hear to make sure you are clear on what the person said. Go with the flow and avoid arguing and correcting the other person.

Giving verbal instructions

It helps to demonstrate what is needed versus using words only to increase comprehension. Also consider writing out steps.

Requiring person to speak

It is okay to ask someone to gesture to communicate if you don’t understand what they are saying, or to accept their gestures if they don’t want to speak.

Communicating while out of view of person

In later states of the disease, approach the person from the front and say who you are and speak directly to them, which is more respectful and considerate.

It is easy to feel uncomfortable when communicating with someone with Alzheimer’s disease. In times of doubt, remember that it is your presence that is more important than the specifics of what is being said. Educating yourself about these common errors and making changes will reduce stress and make for more enjoyable togetherness is a big win-win. Have you had any experiences where you improved your communication with someone with Alzheimer's? Please share in the comments below.