Here are some tips to help when people are connecting with a person living with dementia:
• Patience is key for dementia-friendliness.
• Use respectful language. People living with dementia are not "sufferers" or "patients."
• Address the person with dementia, rather than those around them, when talking about their experience living with the disease.
• Connect, don't correct. Respond to feelings being shared.
• Use precise language when describing actions or tasks.
• Give directions slowly and clearly.
• Focus on a person’s strengths and share tasks with them, like washing dishes or helping them to order at a coffee shop or restaurant.
• Become educated on dementia and on how to help, by visiting www.alzheimerbc.org.