Session 3 Communicating with people with dementia “Getting to Know Me” Enhancing Skills in the Care of People with Dementia 3.1

Aims  To explore a range of ways staff can adapt their communication approaches (verbally and non-verbally) to compensate for the difficulties experienced by people with dementia  To explore dilemmas in communicating to people with a different perception of reality to our own 3.2

 Watch the video clip and observe the different modes of communication and the skills/techniques employed in the clip

Communication skills  Reduce conflicting stimuli such as background noise  Speak facing the person to ensure good eye-contact. Avoid approaching and addressing people from behind – it can startle  Slow down  Reduce the length of sentences to give just one piece of information at a time  Point to pictures or objects as you talk about them to supply additional information  Be conscious in your facial expression, body posture and use of speech and sounds to show you are fully attending and listening  Listen to the intonation. This may be communicating more than the words themselves. Focus on the feeling behind the words. 3.4

Edith is 96, she is a client/patient on your facility and she has dementia. Edith frequently asks staff if they have seen her mother (Edith’s mother died many years ago). She appears anxious. People respond to her in different ways. What might you say? 3.5

“As we become more emotional and less cognitive, it’s the way you talk to us, not what you say, that we remember” Christine Bryden 2005, p

For the next session  Please reflect on the following; What are the positives and negatives about the physical care environment within the care setting for people with dementia? How could you put to good use greater knowledge about a patient who has dementia e.g. information on their life, interests, likes and dislikes etc? 3.7

References: Brooker, D and Surr, C (2005) Dementia Care Mapping: Principles and Practice. University of Bradfor Brooker, D (2007) Person-Centred Dementia Care: making services better. London. Jessica Kingsley Bryden, C (2005) Dancing with Dementia Jessica Kingsley Kitwood, T. 1997Dementia Reconsidered: the person comes first. Open University Press NICE (2010) Delirium, diagnosis, prevention and management. Clinical Guideline 103 for people with dementia 3.8