understand and enable positive interaction and communication with individuals who have dementia

Make an effort to avoid nonverbal responses, such as nods or headshakes. Remember that body language, like outstretched arms or facial expressions, may be un-seeable.

Dementia sufferers communicate in many different ways. They may not be able to speak but they can communicate non-verbally with positive or negative behaviour. They can also communicate using body language and through posture.

All forms of dementia can affect the way a person communicates, so in time they may have to find different ways of expressing themselves and their feelings. As a carer your non-verbal communication will become important, your body language, facial expressions, gestures, eye contact and tone of voice will have to be taken into account when you are communicating with a sufferer. In the early stages of some forms of dementia people may have difficulty finding the right word they are looking for, and in the later stages of some forms of dementia the words could be lost completely. As the dementia progresses, it gets a lot

Dementia is a loss of brain function. If affects memory, thinking, language, judgement and behaviour. Dementia is progressive, so the symptoms will gradually get worse. In a later stage of dementia people will find it hard to carry out daily tasks and will come dependant on other people.

Individuals with dementia have loss of communication or memory so they can be treated unfairly by carers or relatives because they may not have the capacity to challenge abuses or to report what has occurred. For example they can use offensive or insulting language.

Dementia can cause the sufferer to experience loss of mental ability, loss of memory, a reduced understanding, and judgement. Dementia can also cause problems with language.

The term dementia describes a set of symptoms which include loss of memory, mood changes and problems with communication and reasoning. These symptoms occur when the brain is damaged by numerous certain diseases. Dementia is progressive, which means the symptoms will gradually get worse. How fast dementia progresses will depend on the individual person and what type of dementia they have. Each person is unique and will experience dementia in their own way.

Augmentative communication is another way to help with their language disorders. This may be using computers or hand help devices. Picture communication can also be used. Augmentative communication is often used with people who have disabilities

Dementia sufferers communicate in many different ways. They may not be able to speak but they can communicate non-verbally with positive or negative behaviour. They can also communicate using body language and through posture.

Even diet or illness can affect their abilities or needs. One day a person with dementia will remember, and be quite able, to complete certain tasks but then may be incapable another. This is not their choice it is because the brain is a very complex organ and the chemical changes vary from person to person. The information is still in the memory but the neurotransmitters are able to send messages one day but maybe not the next. If an individual has a water infection they may be more confused and their needs go up whilst their abilities go down. Medication may produce more hallucinations or tremors therefore once again their needs are increased.

and risk. People with dementia can have mood swings and there personality can even change altogether. As carers we need to set boundaries to keep a person safe without infringing on a there rights, which can be difficult, especially in the advanced stages of dementia but there are some effective techniques to aid.

At first, someone with dementia may appear to be easily irritated or moody. More challenging behaviour may develop in some people over time. For example, in some cases, a person with dementia may become quite

1. Sight loss - identify yourself and you need to make it clear that you are speaking to them and not someone else, they can't read your body language so you need to be clear about your meanings and directions etc, a noisy environment can make it difficult for them to concentrate on your voice and so on.Hearing loss - be respectful when trying to get their attention eg use a light touch on the arm, if they lip read they need to see your face, you need to speak clearly at a normal pace and tone, you may need to be patient and repeat things. Deafblindness - some of the above and you need to know the levels of deafness and blindness and their preferred method of communication.

If an individual that has dementia and also has a sensory impairment it is important for care providers to assess the communication abilities of that person and to support different methods that the person may have when they are trying to communicate with you for instance a person that wears a hearing aid may have forgotten or have been unable to turn it on because of there dementia by simply having a quick check hat it is fitted correctly and is turned on you have aided the person in being able to communicate better there are many other items that may also be beneficial to an individual with sensory loss, flash cards with simple instructions words and picture on may be good if a person is having difficulty expressing what they need, sign language may also be good for those with hearing impairments.

Positive interactions can help reduce agitation caused by frustration and give a person a feeling that they do matter. By lending an understanding ear to someone with Alzheimer's to verbalize their frustrations, worries and fears, the negative emotions can diminish. This will contribute to better cognitive functioning and behaviour. Dementia can be a lonely illness and giving someone you time and undivided attention can help them to remain centred and calm.