11. Reiterate and Validate: Reinforcing Understanding
Communication with dementia patients often requires a delicate balance between repetition and validation. As the disease progresses, memory issues can make it difficult for patients to retain new information, necessitating the need for reiteration. By frequently repeating crucial points, you can help reinforce their understanding and ensure the patient is on the same page.
However, it’s important to strike a balance. Overdoing repetition can come off as patronizing or frustrating for the person with dementia.
The aim is to offer subtle reminders that gently steer the conversation and keep them engaged. It might be helpful to experiment with different approaches to find what works best for the individual in question.
Validation, on the other hand, is all about acknowledging and accepting the person’s feelings and experiences. People with dementia often have a different perception of reality due to their memory issues.(11)
