Consider These Forms of Communication When a Loved One is Struggling with Dementia

It is challenging to adjust to new modes of communication with someone struggling with Dementia or Alzheimer’s. It feels a lot like learning a whole new language. Alzheimer’s is. A disease progresses differently for each person affected, which makes the degree of changes in how they communicate vary. These changes tend to lead to a lot of stress and frustration for your loved one, and for their caregiver as well. After all, we know you want to provide the best care in the most efficient ways possible. Barriers due to dementia can sometimes make that hard to do. MorningStar of Arvada’s Assisted Living and Memory Care offers this advice to help better communicate with your loved one struggling with memory loss.

Dementia and Alzheimer’s are difficult diseases to navigate. Getting your loved one to complete or agree to simple everyday tasks may become frustrating and overwhelming for both of you. When it comes to taking care of themselves, a senior struggling with dementia may forget when they have last bathed, or eaten, or the reasons why they need to do these things in general. If you are trying to get them to clean themselves up or to eat a meal, but they refuse to do so, try approaching the situation differently.

Telling your loved one you don’t know how to clean yourself and asking them to demonstrate to you how to use a washrag with soap is an easy alternative to forcing them into a shower or bath or having an unnecessary argument. In this way, your loved one believes they are being helpful by showcasing something to you while also cleaning their body and maintaining good personal hygiene.

A senior with dementia may often tell you they are full when they haven’t eaten for hours. Their body may not be sending out normal hunger cues or they may be unable to decipher their feeling of hunger as needing to eat. Breaking a large meal into smaller parts will be less overwhelming for someone struggling with Alzheimer’s. For example, offering one slice of toast and then thirty minutes later offering some fruit. Alternatively, asking your loved one to describe the taste of something as a method to make them eat has been proven to get seniors to eat. By describing the flavor, someone with dementia feels as though they are of need to you and want to help you answer a question.

Contact us to learn more about MorningStar’s Alzheimer’s Care and Assisted Living options in Arvada CO. Our staff is happy to answer any questions you have. Our website also provides information on our company’s history and vision, as well as what sets us apart from other senior living facilities in Colorado.

The unique mission statement of MorningStar of Arvada, “to honor, to serve, to invest,” sets us apart from other senior living communities. Our foundation is built upon honoring God, valuing all seniors, and investing in staff with a felt calling to serve. Dedicated to creating a real home for residents within a beautiful setting, we encourage you to see for yourself our exceptional offering for independent and assisted living in Arvada, Colorado.