Areas for guidance
• Responsive behaviours may be the person’s only way of communicating – it is important that you always view behaviour as a form of communication. • Be aware of your own non-verbal communication. Think about your body language, your eye contact, your tone of voice etc and how this may affect the person's ability to engage with you. • Speak slowly and clearly using a calm tone. • Avoid extremes, by not talking too loudly or too slowly and avoiding childish vocabulary (40, 46,48,49).
5. Active Listening
The use of active listening is particularly important when talking to a person with dementia. It involves fully attending to the person and allowing them to lead the conversation without disruptions. Active listening also involves the use of silence, and although this can be unnerving for staff, sensitive discussions often require these silences to allow the person to assemble their thoughts and questions. These tips might help: • Show you are listening by employing conversational cues such as “mmm”, “I see”, and “really” (15,59) along with an open posture, eye contact and nodding. • Try not to jump in and fill silences with more language. • The person with dementia may struggle to make meaning of what they are hearing and finding the words they wish to say. Give the person extra time to process information and find the words they want. Don’t continue to speak as this may overwhelm the person with dementia. • How long a person with dementia needs to allow them to process information will vary from person to person so find out what works best for the person you are supporting (33,58,60,61).
6. Use simple language
Supporting a person with dementia in conversation means that you may need to think in advance about the words you are going to use. Keep it simple and easy to understand. These tips should help:
• Use the person’s name in conversation. • Keep your language clear and concise. • Focus on one topic at a time. • Avoid medical jargon and terminology.
• Point or demonstrate to help a person understand what you are saying. • Use visual supports such as photos and/or write down key words. • Use different words to get the same point across if the person does not understand the first time. • Provide support and affirmation when a person gets stuck in a story/idea e.g. “you were telling me all about your family and how you felt about your day today” (5,22,44,46,47,49–51).
Facilitating discussions on future and end-of-life care with a person with dementia
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