understanding dementia behavior, part nine.

ninth tip from fca: remember the good old days. remembering the past is often a soothing and affirming activity. many people with dementia may not remember what happened forty five minutes ago, but they can clearly recall their lives forty five years earlier. therefore, avoid asking questions that rely on short-term memory, such as asking the person what they had for lunch. instead, try asking general questions about the person's distant past- this information is more likely to be retained.

my addition to this tip: my clients would so much rather tell me about their childhood and young adult life than talk about what's happening for them now. it's astonishing to see the drastic differences in their memory from what happened yesterday to what happened sixty years ago. be patient and go with the stories, it's worth it.

the majority of the above information is from one of my favorite sources: family caregiver alliance, www.caregiver.org

read my disclaimer here.