I’ve read a wonderful book – Learning to Speak Alzheimer’s by Joanne Koenig Coste.  I’ll be sharing some of the ideas from her book here…and I highly recommend it to anyone caring for a loved one with dementia.

A person with Alzheimer’s demonstrates some odd behaviors…and we caregivers need tools to cope with them.  In her book, Joanne assures us that when confronted with a new behavior, we should remember the five following ideas:

1. You can’t reason with a person who has lost the ability to reason.  Don’t frustrate yourself trying to do it. 
2. Distraction is a wonderful tool.  Instead of dwelling on the present problem, distract your loved one with another task, situation or thought.
3. Follow the person’s logic or thought pattern if you can.  Join her in her world for a moment, then gently lead her back to your world.
4. White lies are not bad things.  It’s OK to use them to keep a situation manageable.
5. Physically remove items that can cause problems.  Just as you would baby-proof your home when you care for a grandchild, remove dangers when you care for someone with dementia.

Armed with these few tools, you can overcome most behavioral challenges that face you.  When you deal with challenging behavior, remember to make eye contact, speak calmly and slowly, and break down your speech into simple, short statements.  Remembering that a challenging behavior is not personal…it’s the disease helps most people get through.  Armed with these tools and with your kindness and patience, you’ll be able to handle most issues as they arise.  Don’t give up…you’re doing a good thing!