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Special thanks to Michelle Tristani from essentially means that they aren’t living on
Benchmark Senior Living the same linear timeline that we are. It makes
sense, then, that a person with dementia may
Communicating with people living with
dementia is never an easy task: for many talk about events that happened 40 years ago
families, it’s the hardest thing they do on a as if they happened yesterday, or mix up a
regular basis. Concerned with how to answer loved one with someone else. For someone
challenging questions from an aging loved with Timeline Confusion, understanding the
one (“Where are my parents?”) to coping effects of COVID-19 is truly impossible—and
with repetitive phrases or requests, family making them more concerned or worried isn’t
caregivers are often unsure of exactly what going to help matters.
words to use or even what tone to use. “For persons with dementia, explain that
there is a bug or flu going around, not that a
Enter: COVID-19. In a time where our world
seems overrun by stress and uncertainty, viral pandemic is shutting the world down,”
comes even more stress and uncertainty for Michelle Tristani, Corporate Director of Mem-
families who have loved ones living with de- ory Care at Benchmark Senior Living explains.
mentia. How can you best communicate with It’s true: sometimes, too much explanation is
a loved one if their senior care community is far worse than any explanation at all.
shut down due to coronavirus concerns? How So, does it make sense to call your loved
can you visit? What do you say to a loved one one with dementia on the phone? The short
who may be experiencing anxiety, but may answer is: it depends.
not be able to understand exactly what’s hap- Here are my tips for calling a loved one living
pening around them?
with dementia who lives in a community:
Put simply, here’s the key: we don’t want to 1. Stay calm. Anxiety is very contagious.
add our own anxiety into the mix.
When you are visiting or talking with some-
Many people living with dementia experi- one living with dementia, do your best not
ence what I call “timeline confusion,” which to bring them into your anxiety. Trust me: it