Dementia is a complicated disease, there are more than 50 different forms of dementia. The course of the disease varies from one form per person. Find out more about which form of dementia someone has read about it and ask the person who is close what's the impact of the disease on their daily lives. What are the consequences for them?
 

Dementia will cause a person to gradually loses skills. Things that someone did daily, dont's work out in the long run any more. Some activities therefore become difficult. But there are always possibilities.

Ask for the possibilities. What does the person with dementia like? Maybe very simple activities, like walking around or sing a song can give pleasure. And if you're a professional and you're going to do something with the person with dementia, caregivers can just do something for themselves.
 

People with dementia often feel much more than you think. Especially in the later stages of the disease, touches and feelings are much more important than (the meaning of) words. Pay attention to your body language and the tone in which you speak.

 

A person with dementia will eventually have more difficulty following a conversation. Keep that in mind when you talk to someone. Make eye contact when you ask something and ask one question at a time. Pay attention to one's reaction, one understands what you mean? In a later stage of the disease, it may be necessary to use shorter sentences and simpler words.

 

Dementia can cause someone to remember things wrong. If someone says something, it may therefore seem as if someone is lying. Or the person may accuse you of lying. Obviously this is not the intention, but a result of the loss of grip on the memory. The person with dementia may become suspicious. Never emphasize it is not true what someone says. Join in the conversation and try to give a nudge in the right direction. If the conversation threatens to get out of hand, try to change the subject.

 

You don't ask a person with one leg to just walk so why expect a person with dementia to act as they used to?
 

Perhaps the most important tip we can give you: be patient. Things go slower now. Wait for the answer. There's a big chance that you get the same question several times since the person has forgotten that you've already answered that question. Try not to be annoyed and try to answer patiently again. Ensure peace and create as much clarity as possible. Life for someone with dementia is already confusing enough.