Page 19 - Leisure Living Magazine Autumn 2016

Caregivers: Coping, Communicating And Connecting With A Loved One
By Theresa Bowen, Ph.D., Email: theesajb@gmail.com
The most difficult battle in coping with a loved one with Alzheimer’s Disease is realizing the per- son you have known all of your life behaves and communicates differently. Coping with your loved one’s disease requires change because their ability to use their brain is failing. Loved ones living with Alzheimer’s disease cannot adjust or adapt easily. It is the responsibility of the caregiver to change in order to deal with this new life experience with their loved one. The loved one’s new behavior can cause anger, frustration, and confusion in care- givers. Will you need to change? Yes. Is change difficult? Of course it is. On the other hand, your loved one can be inspiring and delightful once you understand their world and are able to com- municate with them. Coping with the new reality of joyful caregiving requires acceptance, change, and learning how to communicate effectively.
Recently my son and daughter-in-law visited
their aunt who is surviving with late onset Alz- heimer’s Disease. My son said “it was the most difficult two hours of my life.” His reaction to the visit inspired my research into communication strategies that can ease frustration when talking to an Alzheimer’s patient. Sometimes it is difficult to know the “best” way to respond to repetitive or odd things a loved one might say. There are several techniques suggested by Caring.com that include:
1) Approach the person from the front and say their name, slow your speaking down and be as clear as possible using short clear sentences.
2) Use non-verbal communication like pos- itive facial expressions, look directly into their eyes, and if possible point to the object you are talking about.
3) Reduce background distractions if possible
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