The Memory Unit OT

If you’ve worked with individuals with dementia for any length of time, you know that there are times when the things they are trying to tell you or the conversations they have with you make no sense. And in these moments, it can feel incredibly challenging to find the answers to the questions or re-direct the topic to something that makes sense.

But here’s my tip when it comes to building and establishing rapport with your residents with dementia: engage in that conversation anyway.

Smile. Make eye contact. Remain attentive. Use your body language to demonstrate that you believe what your resident is saying and that you believe they have something to contribute to the conversation.

Strive to make sure they know you hear them.

I know it can be hard. And throughout most of that conversation, you may never fully understand what your resident is talking about. But you have the ability to read their body language, determine if they are just telling you a story or if they’re distressed or upset, and then use that to redirect to something meaningful and helpful.

The goal of dementia care is not to ‘fix’ or ‘cure’ the dementia.

We aren’t trying to force that individual back into reality. We meet them in their own reality to give them the sense of comfort and safety that their disease is trying to take away.