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Communication is both verbal and nonverbal. Both means of communication are important, but nonverbal communication becomes an even more valuable tool when dealing with memory issues, especially in the late stages of dementia.
Watching other people and their body language helps us to understand a conversation better, as so much of our language can have different meanings depending on how it is stated.
Here’s a look at the detailed differences between verbal and non-verbal communication. Download and print a copy of the activity sheet. Take a few moments to review the information.
After you’ve read the activity sheet, take a few minutes to reflect on the following questions. Feel free to make some notes.
Communication - Day to Day Series
Enhancing Communication: A By Us For Us Guide
Recreation therapist Christie Oswald shares ideas about supporting a family member or friend living in a care home. These ideas can help ensure the best quality of life for the person living with dementia.
After you watch the video, take a few minutes to reflect on the following questions. Feel free to make some notes.
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Download and print a copy of the activity sheet below. Take a few moments to review the 44 things to do with a person living with dementia.
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After you’ve reviewed the activity sheet, take a few minutes to reflect on the following questions. Feel free to make some notes.
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Focus: Helping children understand Alzheimer's disease
Focus: Helping teens understand Alzheimer's disease
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This session includes the following parts:
Part 1: Ways to Support and Activity Ideas
Part 2: Connecting Through the Senses
Part 3: Verbal vs Non-verbal Communication
Part 4: Adapting the Physical Environment
Part 5: Questions for Reflection
Part 6: Questions Others Have Asked
Summary
Work through the various parts in the session at your leisure. Move from one part to another at your own pace and in the order that makes sense to you, based on your own needs and interests.
At any time, you may scroll to the Search bar and type a specific question or topic to learn more.
Click on the image below to download and print a brief self-reflection activity sheet. The purpose of this tool is to help you think about what you have learned and to provide a space for you to document some of your thoughts and ideas for moving forward.
It will take time for both of you to adjust to your new situation. Keep in mind that there is no correct number of times to visit the person during this period. For some people, the strain of caregiving has been such that they need a "rest" during the first few weeks after moving. Others will want to go as often as possible during the first few weeks.
Whatever you decide during this period is the right decision for you. Go as often as you want and stay for as long as you feel comfortable. The important thing is to make each visit — no matter the length or the frequency — as full and rewarding as possible for both of you.
The person with dementia will also need some time to adjust to the new environment. Try to be patient as she settles in. For some, this may take weeks or months; for others, it may be less. Communicate closely with the staff during this adjustment period.
Here we have a conversation between care home director Marlene Collins and host Liana Shannon. Marlene shares her experiences working with families, staff and residents. Watch the video and learn about what to expect in the adjustment period and how care partners and staff can work together.
As a care partner, you will experience a broad range of emotions once the person you have cared for has moved to a long-term care home. You may feel guilty. You may feel relieved that the responsibility of providing care is no longer solely on your shoulders. You may even experience second thoughts about your decision. These are all normal reactions.
Progression Series: Late Stage
Long-Term Care: Adjusting after the move
This session includes the following parts:
Part 1: Making the Decision to Move
Part 2: Accessing a Care Home
Part 3: Adjusting to the Move
Part 4: Communicating with Care Home Staff
Part 5: Questions for Reflection
Summary
Work through the various parts in the session at your leisure. Move from one part to another at your own pace and in the order that makes sense to you, based on your own needs and interests.
At any time, you may scroll to the Search bar and type a specific question or topic to learn more.
See below for questions others have had at this stage. Click on the link(s) under each question for answers.
How do I access home care and what supports do they offer?
As a person living with dementia, what can you do to help gain back control after you become agitated?
We also ask that others help us minimize triggers and agitations. This can be done by listening to us about what we need and providing gentle assistance.
Read the Managing Triggers-By Us For Us Guide to learn about some of the triggers that people experience and the solutions that they have developed.
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The following Apps are a few examples of online tools to help people with dementia relax and alleviate agitation. They can also help care partners to manage their own stressors.
Each App offers various features, such as guided meditations, relaxation techniques, soothing music, and nature sounds.
Unwinding by Sharecare offers help to reflect on the understandable challenges you often experience as a caregiver and learn how to work through them in healthy, productive way. In partnership with the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers (RCI).
Headspace provides evidence-based meditation, mindfulness tools, mental health coaching, therapy, and psychiatry. Headspace helps you create life-changing habits to support your mental health and find a healthier, happier you.
Calm offers guided meditation sessions, soothing music, and bedtime stories to help reduce stress and promote relaxation.
Simple Habit provides guided meditations and mindfulness exercises designed to fit into busy schedules and promote relaxation.
Breathwork offers various breathing exercises and techniques to help reduce stress and anxiety and promote relaxation.
Aura provides personalized meditation, life coaching, stories, and music to help reduce stress and improve mental well-being.
Pzizz: Sleep, Nap, Focus: Pzizz offers customizable audio tracks for sleep, relaxation, and focus using clinically proven techniques.
Managing Triggers - By Us For Us Guide
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Have you ever had experience walking in someone else’s shoes? Experiencing life from another person’s view can be life-changing.
Alzheimer Research UK developed an app and 360-degree videos that allow you to do just that. A Walk Through Dementia was developed with people living with dementia who wanted you to experience life in their shoes.
If you are using a computer, you can visit their YouTube Channel to watch the videos. If you are using a phone or tablet, you can download their App from the Google App Store (for Samsung/Android users) or the Apple App Store (for iPhone/iPad users).
This exercise emphasizes the experience of a person living with dementia. After you have watched the videos, take a few minutes to reflect on the following questions. Feel free to make some notes.
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Progression Series: Middle Stage
Expressions of feelings and needs are always one way that a person communicates. At this stage of the disease, it is important for the care partner to think like a detective.
Reference: The PIECES Approach, U-First® Program, accessed 6 March 2024,
Dementia is much more than memory lapses. Your brain is responsible for many more functions. As you can see, there are different aspects that will influence the person living with dementia and how they react.
To understand more about how physical changes in the person might influence the brain, please visit the Canadian Coalition for Seniors’ Mental Health
To understand how the brain changes of dementia affect the senses of the person living with dementia, access Talking Sense: Living with Sensory Changes and Dementia by Agnes Houston, diagnosed with young-onset dementia.
