Effective Communication With Dementia Patients Is Critical

Dementia, commonly known as "bunama" among the general population, emerges through deterioration of the brain's mental and behavioral functions. Specialist Dr. Celal Şalçini, providing information on important considerations when approaching dementia patients, emphasized the importance of controlling tone of voice and manner when speaking with patients. Dr. Celal Şalçini, Neurology Specialist at Üsküdar University Npistanbul Brain Hospital, shared important information about key points to consider when approaching dementia patients. "Information processing speed decreases in dementia patients. For this reason, by reducing our speech rate, we can reduce the burden on the patient's mind," said Specialist Dr. Celal Şalçini. "In this way, the number of words and concepts the patient needs to process mentally decreases, and your dialogue can become more effective. Provide multimodal input. In many dementia patients, verbal memory is primarily impaired and verbal inputs are difficult to retain in memory. Reinforcing these inputs with writing and accompaniment will facilitate remembering and learning. For example, when teaching a name, it should simultaneously be written, read aloud, or associated with an image," he said.

One-on-One Conversation Should Be Preferred with Dementia Patients

Noting that when many people speak together, dementia patients struggle to follow conversations and participate in them, Specialist Dr. Celal Şalçini stated, "In this way, the patient's existing confusion increases, the patient becomes agitated, and due to anxiety about what they hear, the patient withdraws and prefers not to speak. For this reason, you should prefer one-on-one conversation with dementia patients or reduce the number of people speaking as much as possible," he said.

Tone of Voice and Manner of Behavior Are Important

Noting that "elderly people, whether or not they have dementia, have more difficulty understanding speech than hearing difficulty," Specialist Dr. Celal Şalçini continued: "The reason for this is loss in perceiving high-frequency sounds and decreased information processing speed. Speak somewhat louder than your normal tone of voice, as much as possible, without sharpening your voice," he said. Although dementia patients lose the ability to understand words and concepts, they are aware of how you speak, your manner, and your tone. When speaking with the patient, take care not to raise your voice, speak explosively or loudly, or speak in a threatening or commanding tone. In this way, your dialogue with the patient will improve and you will avoid irritating the patient, making them uncomfortable, distressed, or causing them to act out.