Communication with People with Dementia

Abstract

This chapter considers communication with people with dementia while recognising the growing recognition of the need to include people in their own care and treatment. Dementia affects a person’s ability to communicate and their comprehension of the world around them; however, the success or failure to communicate is related to a whole range of factors not least of which is the other person(s) involved in the communication. Current understandings of dementia reflect a condition that is as much to do with an individual’s environment, both social and physical, as it is to do with specific neurological damage. It is acknowledged that communication can be enhanced through some simple considerations and through a focus on the person with dementia as someone who has the same rights to information about their condition and care as anyone else. However, stigma often plays a significant role in the lives of people with dementia and affects how (and if) communication takes place. This chapter reflects on the various challenges and facilitators to communicating with people with dementia, breaking down the impact of different factors within the personal, social and physical environment of the person with dementia. By thinking about dementia in a more holistic manner, we can then find ways to compensate for impairment, address challenges and improve communication. The chapter finishes with a discussion about diagnosis and the disclosure of a dementia diagnosis to the person and their family, perhaps one of the most important times for effective communication with a person with dementia.