Tag Archives: communication

February 19, 2024 · 8:00 am

How creating GenAI prompts reminds me of dementia communication

For the past year, I’ve immersed myself in the emerging generative AI technologies. Mostly for my job, but also for my personal curiosity. Every industry is being impacted by AI, including caregiving. If you’ve followed any of the AI discussion, you’ll know that while the technology offers great potential in certain areas, it also can produce errors, which are referred to as “hallucinations.”

Users of these gen AI models are given the responsibility of creating suitable prompts for whatever tasks they are asking the model to complete. There are now people being hired as “prompt engineers” solely for that purpose. The reasoning goes that the better the prompt, the better the execution.

Instead of just typing in a few keywords into a search engine bar, one has to think about a variety of details. There’s a lot of trial and error in the process, with the accompanying frustration and wonder when you get it just right.

This made me think about communicating with someone in the earlier stages of dementia. The person’s communication skills are typically not that impaired early on, but some aspects may be slightly off. The misuse of a word. The incorrect memory recall. The out of left field response. Not understanding a routine request the person’s done many times before.

I remember having conversations with my father during those early stages of the disease and it was disconcerting because our discussion was mostly normal, until it suddenly wasn’t. And that’s how it feels to me working with generative AI technology. It’s accurate a good deal of the time but there’s still something just a bit askew.

If gen AI is characterized as being almost human, we sometimes feel our loved ones with dementia are not the people they once were. Creating AI prompts reminds me to be thoughtful when assembling the building blocks of communication, and how we may be required to reconstruct our typical communication style with our loved ones with dementia, by reframing questions and devising ingenious ways to keep the conversation, and the connection, alive.

The prompt used for the blog post image: “A digital illustration of an adult daughter and her 80-year-old mother with dementia setting at the dining room table, having a conversation with each other, with hearts floating around them.”

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January 29, 2024 · 8:00 am

Accessible writing for those with dementia can benefit us all

Dementia can make many daily tasks difficult, if not impossible. One of those tasks is reading. My father was an avid reader throughout his life so as his dementia progressed, his one true hobby and passion in life was rudely stolen from him.

Reading skills are necessary to navigate daily life beyond reading for pleasure. Being able to interpret signs, recipes, instruction manuals, etc. all take various levels of reading comprehension. Is there a way to write that can make it easier for those with dementia to comprehend?

Innovations in Dementia has released new guidelines on accessible writing for people with dementia. It’s an insightful and useful manual offering real world examples and explaining the whys behind the recommendations. It’s written with a good dose of humor, which is hard to do with a style guide! Everything from font choice and size to page layout and navigation and word choice are covered in the manual.

Researchers found through surveys that many of the recommendations on how to make writing clearer for those with dementia were also useful for those without dementia. The guide points out some similarities in reading challenges for those with dementia and those with dyslexia. Many of us find ourselves increasingly distracted and overwhelmed by the information flooding our minds on a daily basis. If you are familiar with the concept of “smart brevity” that powers the concise writing style used by Axios, you may see some similarities with the clear and direct writing style recommended in the writing for those with dementia guide.

Recently I read a book, Writing for Busy Readers, that I found insightful in how we can all improve our written communication to express ourselves more clearly and be understood by others. From corporate boardrooms to schools, there are opportunities each day to express ourselves more effectively.

Communicating in a way that is more accessible to those with dementia could benefit us all.

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March 7, 2019 · 8:42 pm

Tips on how to communicate with those who have dementia

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Couleur/Pixabay

One of the things I struggled with the most when spending time with my dad who had Alzheimer’s was communication. I didn’t know how to act, or what to say. Should I talk slower, use simpler words or should I speak normally? And when Dad spoke what sounded like gibberish to me, how was I to respond?

It’s a common struggle for dementia caregivers. You see the person in front of you, who looks just like the person you’ve known all your life, and then they open their mouth and say something inappropriate or bizarre. You freeze, your gut twists and you find yourself in a new world, one in which you’ve had no training or preparation.

This Communicating with Alzheimer’s guide offers helpful tips on how to connect with your loved ones with dementia. Here are some of the tips that I found particularly helpful:

  • Maintain eye contact: This can offer reassurance and be a sign of sincerity and thoughtfulness. Focusing fully on a person struggling to communicate can help with understanding as well. The person may use body language to compensate for fading verbal skills.
  • Don’t argue or correct: Those with dementia will often say things that aren’t true or ask for loved ones who are long dead. Some dementia caregivers struggle with the concept of white lies, but it truly is the right thing to do. My mother often tried to correct my father when he said something that wasn’t true, and it didn’t do any good. It only frustrated my father and my mother. If a person with dementia think it’s Wednesday and it’s Monday, so be it. If they want to know where their mother who has been dead for 20 years is, you can simply say they are well and on a vacation.
  • Maintain a quiet, calm environment: I remember the time my parents came to see me at the hotel I was staying at, which was connected to a casino. The minute my father entered the noisy, chaotic lobby, I realized how stupid it was to bring him into that kind of environment. I chronicle that moment in my book, The Reluctant Caregiver. Those with dementia can become overstimulated quite easily and this can negatively effect their ability to communicate.
  • Use humor whenever possible: I used to cringe at some of the silly things my father would say, but in retrospect, it would have been better to just laugh and engage him in whatever train of thought he was having at the moment. Humor is a stress reliever and can lift the mood, which are important for both the person with dementia and their caregiver.

What communication tips do you find work best?

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February 6, 2017 · 5:02 pm

Learning the language of Alzheimer’s

I’m reposting this excellent piece from Marie Marley on how to effectively communicate with those who have Alzheimer’s. It’s really all about being in the moment with that person, and not worrying about right or wrong, truths or untruths. Learning a new communication style is so important because many people with dementia still crave human interaction.

“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” Ralph Waldo Emerson Today we welcome award winning author Marie Marley to The Purple Jacket. Yesterday afternoon I walked into Mary’s spacious room. Mary is a woman who has few visitors and who I’ve volunteered to spend a little time with every week. I greeted her, […]

via 5 Tips for Talking With a Person Who Has Alzheimer’s — The Purple Jacket

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August 13, 2016 · 10:47 pm

Dementia’s communication mysteries

I have found Kay Bransford’s blog series on “things never to say with someone with dementia” enlightening and wanted to share. Much of it I can relate to through my dad’s dementia, but there are certainly things I wish I could have done differently, if only I had known sooner. I’m passing along these words of wisdom from a dementia caregiver warrior in hopes it will help another family going through a similar experience.

When someone with dementia is silent, it does NOT mean they don’t understand you.

via Don’t assume they can’t understand you because they are silent. — Dealing with Dementia

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January 28, 2015 · 7:29 am

Guest article: Dealing with dementia: What caregivers need to know

By Jesse Waugh from Daughterly Care

Have you been given the rewarding yet challenging task of caring for a loved one with dementia?

Undoubtedly, caring for someone with the affliction can be very demanding both emotionally and physically.

An overall term to describe a dramatic decline in one’s mental ability, dementia can be severe enough to interfere with the patient’s day to day existence.

The following tips will help you care for a patient with dementia effectively, while helping them transition into another phase of their lives with less difficulty.

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Communication
In most cases, people with dementia will find communicating utterly demanding.

Chances are, they will find it difficult to verbalize, write and express their emotions in general.

In some instances, they have the tendency to also lose sight of conversation basics and might end up ignoring or interrupting you in the process.

Bridge the ‘communication gap’ by keeping in mind the following basics.

• Keep calm at all times and give them sufficient time to comprehend what you are trying to say and wait for them to respond to you.
• Make use of touch and other positive body language when communicating and make it a point to remain consistent in your approach.
• Always opt for simple and short sentences when trying to get your message across. Also, try not to argue and be condescending. Keep in mind that they still have emotions and feelings even if they might have difficulties understanding you.

Nutrition

Part and parcel of fitting elderly home care should involve carefully monitoring the patient’s drinking and eating habits.

There is a possibility for people with dementia to forget to eat and drink so keeping an eye on this key element should be considered vital.

Effectively manage their eating and other nutrition needs by taking the following pointers to heart.

• Ensure snacks and meals are offered on a regular basis. While not everyone has the same needs, 5-6 small meals a day is considered ideal.
• When possible, serve foods they are familiar with and patiently demonstrate chewing if the need calls for it.
• In most cases, patients tend to lose a lot of weight especially in the later stages of the disease. With this in mind, consider giving nutritional supplements. Consult a doctor or a dietitian so you will be given appropriate advice as to the supplements that might be helpful.

Aggression
While not true for all, there are instances when patients with dementia will exhibit some aggression tendencies.

Be on top of any possible outburst by practicing the following essentials.

• Inform friends, family and relevant health professionals if the patient displays any form of aggression.
• If fits happen repeatedly, try to observe so you can figure out what the triggers are. Once you identify what provokes the outbursts, it will be a lot easier for you to steer clear of those triggers.
• If the outbursts become frequent and unbearable, ask for professional advice so you will know how to manage it effectively.

While physically challenging and emotionally devastating, you can do much to help make dementia a bit more bearable for the patient. Equip yourself with all there is to know, seek the help and guidance of the right professionals, and you are on your way to managing dementia with ease.

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