This session includes the following parts:

Part 1:  Feelings and Unmet Needs

Part 2:  What’s the Meaning Behind the Feeling?

Part 3:  A “Picture” of Dementia

Part 4:  Managing Your Triggers: For the Person with Dementia

Part 5: Emotional Impact of Dementia: Personal Stories

Part 6: Questions for Reflection

Part 7: 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.

As dementia progresses, communication can become increasingly challenging. Recognizing those changes will help the person with dementia, along with family and friends, find ways to communicate more effectively.

Here is a conversation with speech-language pathologist Tammy Hopper. Tammy shares practical communication techniques and tips to help you communicate more effectively with someone living with dementia.

5 Tips for Improving Communication (Middle Stage)

Download and print a copy of the activity sheet below.  It provides a nice summary of five key points that Tammy and Liana discussed in the video:

  1. Use "clear speech"
  2. Simplify - vocabulary, sentences, explanations
  3. Use choice questions (but not all the time...)
  4. Talk about things you can see, touch, feel
  5. Validate feelings and beliefs - "connect vs correct"

Five Tips for Improving Communication

For Reflection…

After you’ve read the activity sheet, take a few minutes to reflect on the following questions.  Feel free to make some notes.

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More Learning Resources

Communicating with People Living with Dementia

Enhancing Communication: A By Us For Us Guide

For Person Living with Dementia: Managing Changes in Your Communication 

Communication Tips for Caregivers

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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.  

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.

Verbal vs Non-Verbal Communication

For Reflection...

After you've read the activity sheet, take a few minutes to reflect on the following questions.  Feel free to make some notes.

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More Learning Resources

Communication - Day to Day Series

Enhancing Communication: A By Us For Us Guide

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Dementia creates distinct challenges in how people express themselves and understand what is being communicated.

Here is a conversation with speech-language pathologist Tammy Hopper. Tammy shares her expertise in verbal and nonverbal communication. 

The video will help you understand the communication challenges faced by people with dementia and why it’s important to adapt your communication style to meet their needs.


Key Points

People with dementia lose different communication abilities during the early, middle and late stages of the disease. As the illness progresses, they experience a gradual deterioration of their ability to express themselves clearly and understand what others say.  However, some form of communication remains possible at every stage of the disease.

The following communication changes are common among people with dementia:

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More Learning Resources

Communication - Day to Day Series

Enhancing Communication: A By Us For Us Guide

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Dementia gradually reduces a person's ability to communicate. Communication with a person with dementia requires patience, understanding and good listening skills.

A first step toward effective communication is to understand how dementia affects the communication centres of the brain.

It may be helpful to imagine the brain of a person without dementia as a solid, stable highway system, just like the one illustrated in the video below.

More Learning Resources

Communication - Day to Day Series

Enhancing Communication: A By Us For Us Guide

This session includes the following parts:

Part 1:  Communication and the Brain

Part 2:  Communication and Dementia

Part 3:  Verbal vs non-verbal Communication

Part 4:  Practical Communication Tips

Part 5:  Questions for Reflection

Part 6:  Questions Others Have Asked

Summary

Work through the various parts of 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.

If you have dementia, it is important for you to be a part of advance care planning, including your financial and legal affairs, while you are able to make decisions and sign legal papers. Making arrangements in the early stages means that you are able to control your own future.

Here, we have two conversations. One is with a lawyer, and the other is with a care partner. They share advice to help you understand the importance of advance planning and to consider some first steps you should take.  Feel free to make some notes as you listen.

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Advice from a Lawyer: Doris Bonora

In this video, lawyer, Doris Bonora discusses the legal and financial documents that need to be prepared and what needs to be done to ensure the concerns and wishes of the person living with dementia are met. Doris explains the importance of doing this in the early stage while the person with the disease has capacity to make decisions.

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Advice from a Care Partner: Edith Stein

In this video, care partner Edith Stein, tells us about her experience of having her husband’s legal and financial plans in order.

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Key Points

Talk to your family. Make sure your money matters will be in the hands of someone you trust. Arrange for an Enduring Power of Attorney authorizing someone to legally make financial decisions on your behalf once you are no longer able to. Talk to a lawyer about naming someone to look after your financial interests.

Pull together your legal and financial documents such as:

In the parts that follow, we will explore more details about:

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More Learning Resources

Decision making and respecting independence

All About Me: A booklet designed for people living with dementia, to help them create a record of their background and what is important to them

Shared Experiences (Section 6): Planning for the Future: A booklet designed to answer some of your questions and concerns about living with Alzheimer's disease

First Steps after diagnosis

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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.

Reflection Questions