10 Top Tips for Supporting People with Dementia

Get to know the Person

• Know their likes and dislikes
• Gather life history
• Have three points of conversation

Maintain Eye Contact and Smile

The person with dementia will notice

• Your emotional state
• Your body language
• Tone of voice

Slow Down

• Provide care in a relaxed manner
• Help the person to do things for themselves
• Keep it simple

Introduce yourself every time

• Tell the person your name
• Tell them what you are there for
• Refer to the person by their name

Communicate Clearly

• Talk about one thing at a time
• Offer simple choices
• Speak clearly in a warm calm voice

Step into the persons world

If the person becomes upset

• Reassure the person
• Acknowledge that you can see the person is upset
• Validate what the person is saying or doing

Keep it quiet

• Create a relaxed environment
• Stop, listen, and avoid distraction
• Reduce conflicting noises
• Avoid crowds and lots of noise

Don’t argue or quibble

• Go with the flow
• Acknowledge and respect what the person is saying and doing
• Telling them they are wrong may have a negative effect

Engage and Encourage

• Get the person started with a meaningful activity
• Set activities up to succeed and have fun
• Focus on what the person can do

Talk with Others

•  Share your experiences with others
• Talk together about what has happened and how you coped with the situation
• Record what has helped and what has not