How to Interact with Alzheimer's Patients

How to Interact with Alzheimer's Patients

If a friend or loved one develops Alzheimer's disease can be difficult to interact with them, but there are a number of ways to encourage patients to express their feelings and thoughts. The Alzheimer 's disease is a degenerative disease that worsens over time, which means that the patient will have an increasing loss of memory and can have difficulty communicating. During the early stages of the disease, the patient may show signs of memory loss short term, while in later stages of Alzheimer's disease , the patient may forget the names and faces of people.


1. Look at an Alzheimer's patient face-to-face and make eye contact with him. Address the person by name to get their attention, introduce yourself by name, even if you have known the patient for a long time. If the patient does not remember who he is, tell him / her that it will help him remember.

2. Use clear sentences verbatim to talk to the Alzheimer's patient , such as: ". Come here Your bath is ready," rather than using colloquialisms like "go to the bathroom." The Alzheimer's Association recommends using simple language and remember to speak slowly and clearly. When giving instructions or asking questions, make a single statement or question at a time, so as not to overwhelm the patient. Avoid telling long or complicated stories or logical explanations. Use a calm and pleasant tone as you speak.

3. Listen and be patient while waiting for a response from Alzheimer's patients. If the patient tries to speak, time to find the words. As Alz.org recommends, encourages and supports Alzheimer's patients through the positive expression of facial expressions. If the patient is having communication problems, try to guess what he is trying to say. Encourage other forms of communication such as pointing or touching a topic of interest or writing words.

4. Avoid showing your frustration with Alzheimer's patients if the person is exhibiting disruptive behavior or inappropriate language. According to Alz.org, remember that it is the disease, not the person, that is causing these outbursts and let it go.


This article is purely informative, we have no power to prescribe any medical treatment or make any kind of diagnosis. We invite you to go to a doctor in the case of presenting any type of condition or discomfort.